The citywide Target Hunger campaign took place on Saturday, June 11th, and collectively, residents of Lethbridge and area contributed over 60,000 pounds of food that will help to restock the shelves at Interfaith Food Bank and Lethbridge Food Bank. Financial contributions were also accepted, bringing the final value of community contributions to almost $195,000!

Organizers of the event set a target goal of 50,000 pounds and are very pleased to have had such overwhelming community support of the food drive.

Donations are still trickling in from individuals who missed getting their bags out in time for pickup or chose to skip the doorstep pickup in favor of dropping off their donations at the food banks or local grocers this week..

“We’re thankful for everyone who participated by putting a bag out on their doorstep and are equally grateful to the community volunteers for organizing the event and recruiting the people and resources necessary to complete all of the work on our behalf,” says Mac Nichol, executive director with Lethbridge Food Bank. “We couldn’t pull off a food drive of this size without the support of the community and the hundreds of volunteers that pitched in to help.”

“We were unsure of the response we would get this year,” says Danielle McIntyre, executive director with Interfaith Food Bank. “For some families, the cost of groceries is just too high to be able to support others right now, while others may have the capacity to step up to help a little more when times are tough. The sheer volume of what was collected from the community this Saturday was wonderful!”

Community members are encouraged to participate in the Target Hunger 2022 Survey available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RP2XJ5R on the Target Hunger Lethbridge website and social media pages.

In addition to food and funds, community members also gave of themselves, offering their time to assist on event day, or to encourage participation from the community. A special thank you should be extended to:

• Target Hunger Planning Committee comprised of representatives from both food banks, and community members dedicated to battling hunger in Lethbridge and area.
• Yamin Raza, Trinity Deak, Arjun Koirala, and Christian Mera; student interns who kept the committee on track by overseeing route maps, coordinating volunteers, maintaining the Online Signup tool and promoting the event.
• All of the major grocers, public libraries, and Cornerstone Funeral Home, for acting as alternate drop off locations.
• Local media outlets for multiple public service announcements and event promotion.
• The hundreds of volunteers who assisted with bag delivery and pickup, sorting at collection sites and hosting community events to support Target Hunger.
• The hundreds of volunteers who assisted with bag delivery and pickup, sorting at collection sites and hosting community events to support Target Hunger.
• The thousands of community members who contributed food and financial donations to help our neighbours in need.

Organizers encourage community members to continue to bring in bags that may have been missed on pickup, and remind everyone that it is never too late to give – donations will continue to be accepted at both food banks and local grocery store collection bins. Financial contributions will continue to be accepted online at www.targethungerlethbridge.com or on either food bank website.

The large quantity of food recruited from the spring food drive is most appreciated by local food banks, which have been open and supporting local families. Each food bank processes about 70,000 pounds of food each and every month, and during the summer, stocks tend to get quite low.

Representatives from each food bank encourage community members to take advantage of opportunities to give, as individual Canadians can help reduce hunger year-round by making food or financial donations, or by giving of their time. Those interested in volunteering with Target Hunger 2023 are encouraged to connect with either food bank.

For more information, please contact either food bank at the numbers listed below:

Mac Nichol, Executive Director                                                      Danielle McIntyre, Executive Director
Lethbridge Food Bank Society                                                         Interfaith Food Bank
403-320-1879                                                                                           403-320-8779
director@lethbridgefoodbank.ca                                                   danielle@interfaithfoodbank.ca
www.lethbridgefoodbank.ca                                                             www.interfaithfoodbank.ca