Although Moose Jaw residents won’t have their chance to huddle out in the freezing December air waiting for the CP Holiday Train to roll into town this year, the annual charity campaign is still looking to support food banks across Canada in much the same way as usual.
The CP Holiday Train won’t be making a trip across Canada and the northern United States this year due to concerns about the pandemic, but the campaign isn’t giving up on its goal to raise awareness and encourage holiday giving.
Instead of the usual train stop, the Holiday Train At Home will be hosting a live-streamed virtual concert on Dec. 12 showcasing headlining performers Serena Ryder and the Trews, as well as Jojo Mason, Logan Staats and Kelly Prescott.
The heartwarming part of the tour is still going forward as well, as the Holiday Train will still be donating $1.24 million to all of the food banks that would normally benefit from the train’s tour and CP is encouraging communities to make donations to their local food bank as well.
"We're just going to do our best to have another successful food drive because our food bank definitely needs everyone's help this year, so we want to make sure we can make it happen again," said local CP support services supervisor Gabrielle Belanger.
In partnership with CP Rail and Golden West Radio, Moose Jaw Co-op is once again running its Good Buy to Hunger campaign in support of the Holiday Train and the Moose Jaw & District Food Bank.
Just like any other year, customers can purchase a pre-packaged bag of non-perishable food during checkout at the Co-op Marketplace for $10, which will be stockpiled until the end of the campaign before being moved to the food bank — with the help of the Moose Jaw Fire Department, as usual.
Each bag contains items like pasta, soup, beans, juice, stuffing and canned veggies, with a total value of about $18. Every customer who donates to the cause will be offered a chance to enter this year’s draw, which has two gift baskets up for grabs instead of train tickets.
People can also donate to the food bank directly, with either cash or food donations, and the Co-op welcomes local businesses to once again get involved in the campaign if they’re able.
"We really have to [keep it going] and I'm so grateful that the Co-op and the radio station can again join forces to make this happen, because we need a little normal and this is one way we can do it," said Belanger. "And I just want to thank everybody for their past support, and this year we need to come together even more to help fill the shelves of our local food bank."
Moose Jaw closed out last year’s tour with an impressive showing of generosity. The Moose Jaw Co-op sold over 1,430 bags of food, and the city totalled the largest amount of food donated out of all the train’s Canadian stops and the second-largest amount in all of North America.
Belanger, the Co-op and the food bank are all hoping to once again see Moose Jaw’s giving spirit this year — especially as many folks are in need of the food bank’s services.
“I didn’t understand how giving this community is until I recently came back, and I’m constantly in awe of the generosity and the drive the community has to help those in need,” said food bank development manager Jason Moore, adding that he’s looking forward to seeing Moose Jaw work its magic again.
The Co-op Good Buy to Hunger campaign launched on Nov. 21 and will continue until Dec. 10. The Food Bank can also accept monetary donations online through its website, which issues a charitable receipt, and encourages anyone with questions to reach out at 1 (306) 692-2911.
For more details on the Holiday Train at Home concert, visit cpr.ca/holidaytrain to learn more.
