‘The need is astronomical’: Annual Glace Bay, N.S. milk drive comes at a crucial time
A Cape Breton man behind a popular milk drive is hoping the generosity of Maritimes will once again shine through in troubled times.
For eight years, Mickey McNeil has been collection donations for the Glace Bay Food Bank, and with the price of just about everything sky-rocketing, he says the demand is greater than ever.
"With the price of groceries, gas and just about everything else people will have to cut corners here and there,” says McNeil.
Last year McNeil's drive to help the food bank took on a life of its own, with nearly 4,000 cans of milk donated.
He also received potatoes, carrots, and a pallet of milk from Prince Edward Island.
"It's just like one island helping another island and it's so nice to have that connection. Bay Ferries waived the cost last year for the gentleman coming over with the load and that was really awesome of them,” says McNeil.
Linda MacRae, coordinator of the Glace Bay Food Bank, says their client list is growing as fast as costs continue to rise.
"Oh Christmas time. We were talking about this the other day and the need is going to be astronomical, the orders that are going to go out,” explained MacRae. "You go to the grocery store to buy milk, it's really expensive and it's an important need for families, it's important for nutrition, especially for children."
The cost of just about everything is going up, as inflation hit 4.4 per cent last month, and gas prices have sky rocketed.
MacRae says some families will be choosing between heating their homes and feeding their families this winter.
"Our need is great and with the price of everything we're still hoping people will be able to donate because they're so generous, but with the cost of groceries we're hoping it doesn't scare people away,” says MacRae.
Back at the rink, McNeil is hoping this table will soon be filled with canned milk - and hopes he can beat last year's goal of more than $9,000 worth of milk and monetary donations collected.
"I'm hoping that the generosity is still there. Cape Bretoners always seem to stick together. We get a lot of e-transfers from Ottawa, Vancouver, fellow Capers,” says McNeil.
McNeil's drive will end November 6, in the meantime he's hoping Maritimers will band together for those in need.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.