Thousands of boxes of cereal donated to Glace Bay Food Bank

A man who left Glace Bay, N.S., as a 16-year-old to play hockey in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League now returns every winter to lace up for the area's annual Vince Ryan Memorial Hockey Tournament.

And Fraser MacAulay doesn't come empty-handed.

MacAulay, 59, is retired from the shipping and receiving department of the now-closed Kellogg distribution centre in London, Ont.

Over the last 22 years, he has arranged for the donation and delivery of thousands of boxes of cereal and other Kellogg's products to the Glace Bay Food Bank.

On Tuesday, he was on hand as about 50 volunteers unloaded an 18-wheeler packed front-to-back with Kellogg products.

"It means a lot, you know what I mean?" said MacAulay. "You can hear about stuff like this here, but when you're actually hands-on and you see it, it's a huge eye-opener, so it's great that Kellogg is great enough to be able do stuff like this here."

Food bank co-ordinator Kimberly MacPherson watched the boxes being unloaded.

"It gives so much community spirit and smiles," she said. "Everybody here is laughing, smiling and helping their community.

"We're so thankful for all the cereal for the community. It's not just for us, but it's for other food banks in the community, daycares. It's also for camps in the summertime."

Even the transportation is donated. For more than 10 years, Sydney-based S&M Trucking has been sending an 18-wheeler to Ontario to bring back the donation.

"It's been absolutely amazing to not have to buy it," MacPherson said. "You look at some of the cereals, it can be $5, $6 a box.

"There's some families that can't afford it and they may have six children at home. There's some schools that use it for their breakfast program, so it's just awesome. It's incredible."

Once the food bank donation is wrapped up, MacAulay will turn his focus to the Vince Ryan hockey tournament, billed as one of the largest recreational adult tournaments in the world.

Admittedly, he said, at his age the tournament is more a social than a sporting event.

"It's nice to get back to see your friends," he said. "You kind of feel like a kid again, no responsibilities. Come down, play some hockey, tell some stories, and visit these folks down here [at the food bank].