Harvesting Hope donations surpass $60K
Donations will be accepted all weekend, until Sunday evening
To donate to Winnipeg Harvest, text FeedHope to 45678 (minimum donation by text is $20) or visit Winnipeg Harvest online (select 'CBC Harvesting Hope Radiothon' in the drop-down menu) until the evening of Sunday, Dec. 8.
Harvesting Hope, CBC's annual event for Winnipeg Harvest, has now raised over $60,000 for the province's largest food bank.
As of 8 p.m. Saturday, the donation tally was $63,740.
The special day of programming on CBC Radio ran Friday, but donations will be accepted all weekend, until Sunday evening. All proceeds go to the food bank.
Join us for musical performances by local artists, hear inspiring stories, and donate to Harvesting Hope, CBC's annual event for Winnipeg Harvest.
This year, Winnipeg Harvest's top five most-needed items are:
- Canned protein – tuna, chicken, beans, stew.
- Canned fruit.
- Canned vegetables.
- Peanut butter.
- Whole grain pasta.
More young people in need of food
Since 2008, there has been a 58 per cent increase in food bank use in Manitoba — the highest among all provinces.
Keren Taylor-Hughes, CEO of Winnipeg Harvest, says the food bank sees people of all ages using its services.
"We see seniors, we see singles, we see youth. We see couples, married folks with large families, newcomers. So pretty much anyone can access our food bank and we're seeing that," she said.
But recently, she said the food bank has been seeing more young people, ages 18 to 29, using the food bank's services.
"We see a lot of youth that maybe haven't finished school, don't have a lot of opportunities for work, and as a result they're either on assistance — or they're not, and just trying to make ends meet," she said.
"So then at that point a food bank is really important to them."
Winnipeg Harvest works hard to ensure its clients are treated with respect and dignity, so they leave feeling uplifted, not beaten down, she said.
"They've recognized they need help. We believe everyone has a right to food and they are treated well," she said.
More than 41 per cent of food bank users in Manitoba are children.
That's the second-highest rate across the country, Winnipeg Harvest officials say, and they provide assistance to more than 64,000 people annually, totalling more than 11 million pounds of food.
Winnipeg Harvest also supports schools, daycares, and after-school programs with food so that kids aren't going hungry while getting an education.
"It's all about helping kids get access to nutrition, and getting into the school system and staying in the school system and graduating," said Taylor-Hughes.