NEWS RELEASE: 2020 Vale / USW Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive Kicks-Off

SUDBURY, November 18, 2020 – The Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive kicked off today in Vale’s Sudbury Operations and with an open invitation to the community to participate and contribute to this important campaign in support of the Sudbury Food Bank.

This year’s organizers turned their minds to how to safely run the beloved Sudbury holiday giving campaign amidst COVID-19, but Edgar’s unwavering commitment to supporting the community’s most vulnerable remains their inspiration, now more than ever.

Local businesses and organizations are encouraged to participate, either by collecting food donations or online financial donations. While organizers appreciate that contactless donations may be preferable and are certainly appreciated during this unprecedented year, they continue to graciously accept food donations from local businesses and organizations who have been such an important driver behind the food drive’s longstanding success. COVID-19 protocols have been put in place to ensure that volunteers and participant safety remains the top priority throughout the campaign.

“The Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive has become synonymous with the holiday season in Sudbury,” said Vale Campaign Co-Chair Sarah Yasinchuk, “but this year, its falling amidst a time when the community is facing significant challenges brought about by COVID-19.” Organizers stress that there has never been a more critical time to support one another but are confident that the community will rally around its most vulnerable. “This year’s campaign is as important as ever” said the seasoned USW Co-Chair Owen Marcotte, “thankfully, I know the Sudbury community will help make this a success, as they have every year.”

“The Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive is vital for the Sudbury Food Bank, especially this year. Through the continued generosity of local businesses and residents, we are able to feed about 11,000 clients every month and try to be prepared for an uncertain future in the face of this pandemic”, said Mellaney Dahl, President of the Sudbury Food Bank. “It’s everyone working together that makes this possible. No one can feed everyone, but everyone can feed someone.”

Edgar Burton, a Vale employee and member of the United Steelworkers Local 6500, started the annual food drive 33 years ago when his daughters asked him if they could start collecting food for people who were going hungry in their community in his workplace. Since then, the campaign has grown to include hundreds of businesses, organizations and schools which have collected over 1,000 tons of food for the Sudbury Food Bank since it first began.

The Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive runs from November 18th – December 14th. Reserve troops from the Canadian Armed Forces 2nd Battalion Irish Regiment will be picking up donations from participating businesses and organizations December 14th-16th.

For more information about the Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive and how to participate, please visit www.sudburyfoodbank/edgarburton or contact 705-682-8200 / ebcfooddrive@gmail.com. You can also follow the campaign on social media with #onemorecan.

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For more information, please contact:

Dan Xilon
Executive Director
Sudbury Food Bank
sudburyfoodbank@vianet.ca
705-671-9663

Sarah Yasinchuk
Vale Co-Chair
Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive ebcfooddrive@gmail.com
705-682-6422