When Dance Images started its Dance for Hunger charity food drive close to 15 years ago, it would have been hard to imagine just how successful the annual event would become.
Every year, performers with the local dance school gather non-perishable food items in advance of their first showcase of the competition season, with the donation often reaching close to a ton of food in recent years.
That was no exception this time around, as two tables displayed a veritable mountain of pasta, canned soup and everything in between while performers took to the stage to show off their skills.
“All of our families all weekend long have been bringing so many food donations throughout our stage rehearsal and tonight as well, and it’s great to see all that food up there,” said Shanua Bzdel with Dance Images.
“It’s wonderful to know that by hosting this event we’re not only providing an opportunity for our dancers to perform as we get ready for our competition season, but that we’re giving back to the community and helping families who are obviously in need.”
Dance Images also uses the event as an educational opportunity for their youngsters, showing that there are others in the community who are in need when such situations might not otherwise come up.
“Families that need help from the Food Bank, their kids aren’t dancing with us, and this is a great way for us to be able to teach our own kids to appreciate what they have but to also start giving back, even at a young age,” Bzdel said. “It doesn’t take a lot, even bringing in a couple of cans of soup is going to make a big difference for families. So it’s really great to be able to support this and keep it going. We’re happy to be doing this for years to come.”
The donation also comes at a time when the Food Bank is always looking for items to stock their shelves.
“When I was talking to them, the amount of families who are using the Food Bank in Moose Jaw is really increasing over the last year,” Bzdel said. “So knowing that, and being able to continue to give back. is so important. The stronger our community is, the stronger we all are.”
Once Dance for Hunger wraps up, Dance Images will immediately turn their attention to one of their biggest events of the season as they host their annual Moose Jaw Invitational Dance Carnival Mar. 22-24 at the Peacock Auditorium.
Be sure to check out Dance Images’ social media pages and visit their website at www.danceimagesinc.com to stay up to date on all that’s happening!
