NEW GLASGOW - The parking lot of the Aberdeen Business Centre was abuzz with activity – and generosity – with the final donations for the Pictou County Food Drive steadily coming in for an unprecedented amount.
At the time writing, the Pictou County Food Drive amassed a total of cash and food donations that worked out to the equivalent of 22,000 pounds – with further donations from around the community keeping volunteers busy, as they continued to come in.
This year’s total blew past last year’s of 12,000 pounds of food, with cash donations worked into the amount.
“It’s absolutely great to see. The number of donations and volunteers handling them go up every year,” said Jim Shaw, an organizer, volunteer and sponsor with the food drive. “It’s great to see more people becoming aware. For four years in a row, we’ve seen growth.”
Shaw said that with Thursday being a chilly November day, people would eventually make their way home in search of a hot meal, “and that’s something a lot of us take for granted – the ability to do that. Some people struggle to make that happen.”
Shaw described the day as “a tremendous success,” noting that he believe the success from the food drive comes from being very much “a grassroots effort that is very easy for everyone to get behind.”
Lauchie MacIsaac, a volunteer with the Food Drive, said it is always a November event, just before Christmas.
“We get lots of support, and people dropping off food. We’re doing pretty good today,” said MacIsaac on Thursday afternoon. “This is the major fundraiser of the year. When we get close to Christmas, people have other things they want to spend their money on. We get our big drive on now, and get lots of food. This should hold us over until March.”
Shaw praised the people of county for their dependable generosity and their ability to provide tremendous support in the form a multitude of donations.
“You’ll never find people more generous than those in Pictou County,” said Shaw. “It’s also good to see young people coming out with their parents, learning about participating in the community – it’s great for future generations.”
According to statistics from the Pictou County Food Bank, it serves about 600-650 people in the run of a month.
Demand for food is fairly steady throughout the year, but it often spikes around the beginning and end of the holiday season, and the end of the winter.
