Calgary’s local representatives are converging on the food bank Wednesday morning, going head-to-head for a good cause.
It’s time for the Councillors’ Challenge, which is part of a bigger, two-week competition called the Mayor’s Christmas Food Drive.
Calgary Food Bank CEO, Melissa Fromm, says councillors will compete to pack up as many potatoes as they can in a timed challenge.
The spuds packed up Wednesday will head out to food bank clients, while councillors and their teams continue in a competition to see who can collect the most in the following days.
Fromm says the Ward 5 councillor is the one to beat.
“We’ll announce the winner after Christmas, Raj Dhaliwal has been the winner for the two years, so we’re really due for someone to dethrone him as the two-time champion,” she said. “So, hopefully that gives them a little extra ‘oomph.’”
The councillor who wins gets bragging right, and the ‘Golden Lettuce’ award.
This is the third year the Councillors’ Challenge is being held alongside the mayor’s annual food drive, which has been running for more than 30 years.
Demand for the food bank’s services has continued to skyrocket, according to Fromm, who explains the organization fills about 750 emergency hampers a day.
“We’re seeing more and more folks than we’ve ever seen before,” she said.
Seventy per cent of donations the food banks receives come in November and December.
Mail-in check donations could be disrupted due to the ongoing Canada Post Strike.
Donations can still be made in-person or online at calgaryfoodbank.com