The Rotary Club of Innisfail and Innisfail Co-op have partnered to give more personal essential items to the local food bank to distribute to the town's growing number of needy citizens.
Heather Kirkham, president-elect for the Rotary Club of Innisfail, and Darren Andres, food centre manager at Co-op, met with Carole Sim, coordinator of the Innisfail and District Food Bank on Dec. 8 to make a donation of $500 worth of personal items to the agency.
Kirkham noted the local food bank can only buy food with donated money, and not personal essential items such as soaps, shampoos and deodorants. As a result, said Kirkham, three times a year the Rotary Club of Innisfail spends $500 to purchase essentials the food bank is unable to buy with its own proceeds.
For the holiday season the service group partnered with Innisfail Co-op for the $500 purchase of personal products, said Kirkham.
“They (Co-op) enable us to get more for less by giving us a discount at cost,” she said.
Darren Andres, food centre manager at Co-op, said this was the first time his store has partnered with Rotary to ensure more needy citizens get the essential personal items.
“We decided that whatever our cost was for the product we would be able to absorb that for the food bank. This will help them out with the product,” said Andres. “It is really a good thing. Between that and the food bank hampers they (citizens) can get more support before December 20, and it helps the food bank out.”
Carole Sim, coordinator of the Innisfail and District Food Bank, said Rotary has always been a strong supporter of the agency, adding the service club has been supplying personal products for more than a year.
“It's a big help to our clients for sure,” said Sim. “We appreciate it, and Darren is helping out this time and that is wonderful.”
"They (Co-op) enable us to get more for less by giving us a discount at cost."
