An annual Glace Bay milk drive is once again helping out the food bank at their busiest time of the year.
With temperatures dropping, more people are making their way through the doors of the food bank and leaving with a grocery order they desperately need.
“It’s either pay rent, eat or get oil, that’s all we hear and it’s really sad,” says Michelle Kalbhenn, coordinator of the Glace Bay Food Bank.
For years Fred Peach has been relying on the Glace Bay Food Bank to get him through the winter months.
“Well it helps me in times of need, when I’m short. I’m on assistance so it helps,” says Peach.
One of the most essential food items is milk, something that is hard to keep in stock.
But thanks to Mickey’s Milk Drive, staff at the Glace Bay Food Bank don’t have to worry about running out anytime soon.
“The food bank says the more milk you bring in, the more money we can put on other items,” says Mickey McNeil, organizer of Mickey’s Milk Drive. “The biggest thing here is eliminating the children that put water on their cereal. I think it’s everyone’s duty to make sure this doesn’t continue.”
McNeil, who works a full-time Zamboni driver at the local rink, and now part-time milkman, has been holding the annual drive for six years. But this year he reached a new goal, and has collected more than $4200 worth of milk and monetary donations for the food bank.
“The milk is tremendously needed here,” adds Kalbhenn. “We run out of it all the time and this time of year when he does the milk drive, it’s something else we can focus on. We don’t have to worry about getting milk.”
The food bank plans to dish out more than 400 grocery orders next month as we get closer to Christmas.
“It’s a great help to the people, if we didn’t have this food bank, there would be a lot of people in dire strait,” says Peach.
Digging deep and donating to a cause that will only continue to grow with the winter months and colder temperatures upon us.
