Packing on the pounds for a good cause
Posted By Standard Staff
Posted 16 days ago
These are some pounds members of a St. Catharines weight loss program didn't mind piling up.
Over the past six weeks, clients and staff at Weight Watchers have been gathering thousands of pounds of food for the needy while shedding weight of their own.
Organizers of the campaign at the Ontario Street location had set a goal of collecting 2,000 pounds of food for Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold.
But by Saturday the haul of food was already more than three times the target, adding up to more than 6,320 pounds.
"I'm getting goosebumps," said program leader Mary Mach, talking about the response by donors. "The hearts in this room are bigger than this building."
The food drive is part of a national campaign by the organization. Members are encouraged to make food donations matching the pounds they've been able to shed.
But members of the St. Catharines program haven't stopped there.
"They've been bringing in whatever the feel like," Mach said. "They've just been bringing it in and bringing it in."
Mach, who lost 120 pounds 37 years ago and has managed to keep it off, has added 200 pounds to the donation total on her own.
Community Care will pick up the food after the campaign wraps up on Sunday.
"This is testimony to what people can do when they bring in just a little bit weekly how quickly it grows," said a grateful Nancy McIntosh, Community Care's fund development officer.
The food is sorely needed by the agency as it struggles to keep up with the demands of a growing caseload during the current economic slump.
"We've had to tell people our resources are really stretched. We're trying really hard to get what you need, but we can't always get you everything," Community Care CEO Betty-Lou Souter said.
The agency is helping approximately 150 families per day. Each of the family's can use the food back once every two months and take home food to get them through three to five days, McIntosh said.
"It's just a supplement to help them get by."
Last year, more than 7,000 people turned to Community Care for assistance over the Christmas holidays.
"We're expecting that to be worse this year," she said.
New and gently used winter clothing is also badly needed by the agency.
As of Friday, Souter said Community Care didn't have a single warm coat to give out.
"No winter coats. No kids coats. It's not only food we need," she said. "Everything — all resources — are at a really fine line and we're just all hanging on by a thread."
More information about Community Care is available online at www.communitycarestca.ca
