THUNDER BAY — It’s the season for giving, and representatives from Confederation College were blown away with how the community came together to Stock the Bank.
“The campaign has raised over $260,000 in support of students in need as well as about 120,000 food items in that amount of time,” said Thomas McDonald, campaign coordinator.
Stock the Bank campaign is in its 19th year and reached it's highest fundraising totals ever this year.
Confederation College celebrated the record year at an event on Monday.
“We raised over $25,000 to our student emergency fund which supports food and security initiatives, a grant program and our food bank, which is amazing and $10,000 of that went to our rainy day fund.
“The rainy day fund allows us to do broader food insecurity initiatives on campus. We also brought in over 3,700 non perishable items and almost 200 kitchen and self care kits to support our students.
“(This year), we raised over $65,000 which is absolutely amazing for scholarships, bursaries and student emergency fund,” said McDonald, who is also the administrator of communications and marketing for the student union, SUCCI.
Teams at the school competed to raise the most funds and collect the most food. Winners earned a certificate and $150 to be donated to the charity.
“From giving non perishable food items in your department's bin, which are worth points where the teams can compete, to our marketing students participating in the enterprise challenge and raising funds that way to interdepartmental fundraisers where departments are challenging each other with bake sales, luncheons and all kinds of things, to just straight up cash donation through payroll.
“It's amazing giving and everyone takes part all for a chance to pay it forward into the community to help our students, but also to earn $150 donation to a charity of their choice.
“We laughingly joke about a ‘Dollarama Frame’ and bragging rights for a year, but I think at the end of the day, paying it forward is what it's really about.”
McDonald said the feeling he gets after giving is what Christmas means to him.
“We see that giving, we see that number, we see that generosity in all of its forms and it can't help but warm your heart. That's the most amazing part, to see how much Confed cares.
“If folks are considering giving in the community this Christmas, find a food bank, find a charity that's near and dear to their heart and pay it forward.
“We are so generously resourced by our college community and I know there are other food banks in the community who do not have that same support. Please give, if you're able, however you're able, whether it's a can of food or a dollar or $100, it doesn't matter.
“Giving is really the spirit of the season,” McDonald said.
“Seeing the overall support from the college in general and helping students is quite amazing," said Michelle Salo, president of Confederation College.
Salo said over the years staff and faculty have seen first hand the impact of the food bank.
“We know that people who are eating healthy and feeling healthy, succeed in terms of their academics. Also, it's the right thing to do," she said.
“These are our students and we want to make sure that we're helping to support them in everything, which includes food insecurity.”
