The Airdrie Food Bank is holding a Thanksgiving food drive this weekend at grocery stores across the city.

The Food Bank’s annual city-wide food drive had to be cancelled this year. Normally volunteers would help deliver bags to homes across the city to be filled with pantry items for the Food Bank. However, that couldn’t happen this year due to concerns and regulations around COVID-19.

“All of our major events, our major fundraisers and our city-wide food drive and all the other events have been cancelled this year. So this one is very important for us and our community,” said communications director Christine Taylor.

Instead, Food Bank volunteers will be set up at Save-on-Foods in Kings Heights and Coopers Crossing, as well as Safeway NoFrills and the Real Canadian Superstore from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on Saturday.

The Food Drive will help stock the shelves heading into Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season.

“First time users – so those are people who have never had to access the food bank before, those numbers are on the rise and we don’t see that slowing down,” Taylor explained. “With CERB payments ending and now needing to pay utilities and whatnot that you were able to defer, people are in need of the Food Bank more than ever.”

The Food Bank has put out a list of its most needed items to make it easy for shoppers to know what to buy. They’ll also be taking cash donations.

 

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