Duane Hicks
The ninth-annual “Stuff-a-Cruiser” campaign is less than a month away and organizers are lining up volunteers to help out.
The event will be held Saturday, Dec. 8 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. at Safeway, The Place, and Walmart here, Cloverleaf Grocery in Emo, and Beaver Mills Market in Rainy River.
Volunteers will be outside of those locations, collecting food donations from customers.
The items then will be donated to food banks in the respective communities, with some also going to the annual community Christmas dinner in Fort Frances.
“District residents are urged to make a difference and volunteer on Dec. 8,” said UNFC homelessness outreach worker Jennifer Kivimaki, who is spearheading the initiative for a second year.
“We appreciate each and every donation, big or small,” she stressed.
“It goes a long way to helping the people who need it throughout the year.”
Volunteers can sign up on the “Celebrating Diversity” website at celebratingdiversity.ca
More than one person can sign up for a location at any given time.
Anyone who signs up on the “Celebrating Diversity” website also should e-mail Kivimaki with their contact information.
Her e-mail address is jkivimaki@unfc.org
If you do not have access to a computer, call Kivimaki at 274-8541 and she can add you to the list.
As in past years, shoppers interested in donating will be given a list of needed items to choose from.
The “wish list” includes canned meat (tuna, chicken, and ham) and peanut butter to provide a source of protein for those who may be living without a stove to cook or a fridge needed to keep certain foods cold.
It also includes canned vegetables (corn, beans, carrots, peas, tomatoes, etc.), canned fruit, baked beans, Hamburger Helper, and Kraft Dinner.
Pasta, spaghetti sauce, instant potatoes, cereal, jam, tea, coffee, packets of sugar, canned pasta, cranberry sauce, Stove Top stuffing, pancake mix, syrup, powdered milk, and packets of salt and pepper also are needed.
Things like granola bars and juice boxes also are needed as they are provided to families with children to help with school lunches.
Last December, district residents “stuffed” 68 cruisers full of food in Fort Frances, Emo, and Rainy River in support of the UNFC, Salvation Army, Emo Food Bank and Thrift Shop, Fort Frances Volunteer Bureau’s community Christmas dinner, and the Westend Food Bank.
“With ongoing support and donations, we are able to continue to help local families and individuals in need, especially during the holiday season,” Kivimaki said.
