SUDBURY, December 18, 2019 – Today the Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive and Kids Helping Kids campaign wrapped up another successful year with the generous support of the Rainbow District School Board and over 250 local businesses.
“We are so grateful for each and every donation to the Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive and Kids Helping Kids. The food and money collected through this campaign will once again provide one-quarter of the needs of the Sudbury Food Bank for the entire year,” said Mellaney Dahl, President of the Sudbury Food Bank.
The Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive is expected to collect more than 100 tons of food again this year. The annual campaign has collected more than 1,000 tons of food since it first began.
“It’s rare that a single individual can start a tradition like this in the workplace and in a community,” said Mike McCann, Head of Mining and Milling for Vale’s North Atlantic Operations “We’re proud to continue the tradition that Edgar started at our operations so many years ago.”
Edgar Burton, a Vale Divisional Shops employee for 36 years, started the annual food drive 32 years ago in his workplace when Edgar’s daughters asked him if they could start collecting food for the less fortunate. Today, Vale donates the time of one full-time and one part-time United Steel Worker (USW) Local 6500 employee for approximately two months to organize the Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive.
“USW Local 6500 is proud to uphold Edgar Burton’s vision of one more can than last year” said Nick Larochelle, President of USW Local 6500. “We would like to thank our members, Jeff LaLonde and Alain Jalbert from Vale’s Divisional Shops, and all the volunteers for their work on this year’s campaign. A big thank you also goes out to all the people that have taken the time to make a donation once again this year. Every year this is an uplifting event for many people and we look forward to participating in the annual Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive for another 30 years.”
The Sudbury Food Bank provides food to approximately 11,000 people every month through over 40 member agencies and outreach programs. Of those clients, over half are children.
Before his passing in 2010, Edgar launched the Kids Helping Kids campaign, which engages school children in the food drive and teaches them about the importance of giving back to their community.
“This year, our schools have really gone above and beyond with their fundraising initiatives. From Kindergarten to Grade 12, our students have rallied in their communities to ensure that they are doing their part to help the less fortunate this holiday season. This campaign is truly Kids helping Kids, and we are thankful to Edgar Burton for this platform to teach our students how to care for one another”, said Kerri Monaghan, Principal of Macleod Public School and Kids Helping Kids Campaign Ambassador for the Rainbow District School Board.
Collection of all of the donations during the Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive is no easy feat. In fact, the campaign organizers call in the army to get the job done.
“The 2nd Battalion Irish Regiment of Canada has participated in this event for many years and it is a great source of pride to the unit,” said Sgt. Scott Barbe 2nd Battalion Irish Regiment of Canada for the Canadian Armed Forces. “We participate in activities around the world and country and, at the same time, we take pleasure in serving our community for this great cause.”
As one of the largest food drives in Canada, the Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive is a source of community pride. With a dedicated group of volunteers and thousands of donations from residents all across the City, we are helping thousands of families and individuals in need.
“The legacy left by Edgar Burton on our community lives on proudly to this day as evidenced by another fantastic year of the Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive,” said Mayor Brian Bigger. “I want thank everyone who came together and supported this campaign in the spirit of one more can to make sure that no one goes hungry in our community over the Holidays.”
For photos and videos from this year’s Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive and Kids Helping Kids campaign, please visit Sudbury Food Bank on Facebook and follow us on Twitter with #onemorecan.
“Year after year, it’s the overwhelming support from the community that makes this food drive a success, said Jeff LaLonde Co-Chair of the Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive. “We thank everyone for their contributions and for helping those in need.”
Dan Xilon
Executive Director
Sudbury Food Bank
sudburyfoodbank@vianet.ca 705-671-9663
Sarah Yasinchuk
Corporate & Indigenous Affairs
Vale Canada Ltd., Ontario Operations
ebcFoodDrive@gmail.com
705-682-6422