More than 760 bags of food filled the lobby of Joseph Brant Hospital on Friday morning, with the thousands of pounds of food raised in support of the Gift of Giving Back.
The food will go to Feed Halton, where it will then go to various food banks around the region. The event was organized by Kimberly Lindsay, a pathology transcriptionist at JBH.
“I’ve always had a passion for giving back to the community, and I have been extremely blessed with the means to be able to purchase food and not worry about where my next meal will come from,” Lindsay said. “I want to give back so people don’t have to worry about those things.”
This is the fifth anniversary of the collection, which is primarily made up of donations from hospital employees.
Everybody from the cleaners to doctors helped to donate, Lindsay said.
“The event has grown from around 150 bags in its first year to 762 now,” she said. “But what has grown the most is not only the food, but the proud feeling everyone has created in a culture of giving at this time of year. Everyone is buying Christmas presents, it’s an expensive time of year, but they’re still choosing to give back to people they don’t know.”
Many people choose to donate cash instead of non-perishable food, so Lindsday used that to fill a few extra bags herself.
“I probably shopped for at least 500 of the bags,” she said.
During the event, JBH CEO Eric Vandewall, Burlington mayor Marianne Meed Ward, Burlington MPP Natalie Pierre, and many food bank executives gave speeches and their thanks.
“On behalf of the beneficiaries, we want to thank Kim and the staff for their great work, especially the volunteers,” Robin Bailey, executive director of the Burlington Food Bank and Feed Halton said. “We all have tons of volunteers helping at the hospital, and we want to thank them for supporting the hospital. They love being part of the community.”
As the event wrapped up, members of the Burlington Food Bank team loaded the 762 bags of food into bins in record time – looking like some sort of Santa’s workshop operation with the speed and precision of Christmas elves.
Within minutes, the bags that covered the foyer floor were swept into trucks for the Salvation Army, Burlington Food Bank, and Feed Halton.
The Gift of Giving Back is Canada’s largest youth-led food drive, where Burlington Eagles and Barracudas hockey players raise food throughout the season to collect for the holidays. In November, the food was counted and valued at more than $800,000 worth.
Neighouring Oakville also takes part, as members of the Rangers and Hornets raised more than $400,000 for the cause.
“You amaze us year after year, and we are so grateful,” Jean Longfield, chair of the Gift of Giving Back said. “You already do so much for us in our community, your dedication knows no bounds, and it’s so obvious as soon as one walks into our hospital.”