OneBagFull campaign sees increased turnout, donations; delivers over 1,300 lbs. of food to Valley Food Bank
One in four households struggles to put food on the table, and the OneBagFull Community Food Drive aims to buck this statistic.
The OneBagFull Community Food Drive took place on Saturday, May 2, in 10 communities across the province, including Bathurst, Charlottetown, Edmundston, Fredericton, Hampton, Moncton, St. Stephen, Saint John, Summerside and Woodstock. Three tons of food were collected and donated across these communities.
Organizers of the third annual OneBagFull Community Food Drive in Woodstock extend appreciation to the volunteers and residents who helped make this year’s effort a success.
Compared to previous years, there was an increase in both the number of volunteers helping and the amount of food collected for donation.
“This increase in effort is especially encouraging at a time of elevated demand on food banks and rising grocery costs,” said local organizer Katherine Hann.
OneBagFull organizers from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rallied community volunteers, including a local Rotary group, to deliver door hangers in Woodstock.
The door hangers requested that residents fill a bag with nonperishable items for delivery to the Valley Food Bank.
On the morning of May 2, volunteers returned to their routes to collect donations left out by residents. All donations were consolidated into a trailer and taken to the Valley Food Bank.
Once received at Valley Food Bank, commodities were weighed and stored for use.
OneBagFull delivered 1,376 lbs. of collected donations in Woodstock, including 35 lbs. of product that was deemed ‘not usable’ for a total donation of 1,341 lbs. Items are deemed ‘not usable’ and cannot be accepted if they are beyond date, unsealed or damaged in a way that would compromise contents.
Typically, a food drive volunteer shares their 30-foot covered trailer for this collection; however, that vehicle was unexpectedly in the shop the day before the Food Drive.
When organizers explained the situation to L&M Ventures, Larry and Mike Currie were quick to offer a covered trailer for the activity.
“L&M Ventures’ generosity was much appreciated,” said Hann.
The next OneBagFull Community Food Drive is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, May 1, 2027.
If individuals or groups (congregations, classrooms, businesses, etc.) would like to participate in future efforts, please email info@onebagfull.ca. Currently, they focus their efforts on densely populated residential neighbourhoods, but if anyone would like to engage their neighbourhood, rural community, apartment building, or business, the organization would love to hear from you.
