Two retirement facilities in Olds have donated a total of $4,000 and collected more than 150 cans of food and other non-perishable items for the Mountain View Food Bank.
The donations were made and collections obtained by the Seasons Olds and Seasons Encore retirement communities. They were part of a campaign by the company in facilities it owns in Alberta and Ontario.
The cans and non-perishable goods were collected at the facilities between July 2 and 15 under the One Can Make a Difference Challenge. The donation was made in conjunction with that campaign.
Taylor White, the company's communications coordinator, says the collections were obtained "after learning that many food banks are in greater need during this time of the year."
"Looking at the 2018 Annual Report from Food Banks Alberta, the province remains among the highest in the country with regard to food bank usage, which again includes a significant share of clients over the age of 65," White wrote in a news release.
"The majority of these individuals come from a single-person household and report that their government pensions (i.e. Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security) are falling behind the rising cost of living."
Food Banks Alberta executive director Stephanie Walsh-Rigby indicated the donation is greatly appreciated.
“This donation of funds and non-perishable food items will go a long way to help food banks this summer, a time when donations typically are lower, but the need is still great,” she said in the news release.
“We want to continue using the platform we have been granted to remind people that food insecurity exists all year round," LeighAnne Voll, chief operating officer of Seasons Retirement Communities also said in the release.
"Many of these individuals don’t how where their next meal is going to come from, and we want to be a part of changing that, especially in the small towns where our residences are located.”
