Mayor Bill Powalinsky placed the first donation into a front-end loader outside Co-op Tuesday morning as Prince Albert joined a provincial construction industry food drive for the first time.
The Construction Association of Saskatchewan brought its Load the Loader fundraiser to Prince Albert, collecting food and cash donations for the Prince Albert Food Bank. The event also included a barbecue, with a burger and drink sold for $5 and proceeds going to the food bank.
Shannon Friesen, president and CEO of the Construction Association of Saskatchewan, said the idea is simple. A member donates the use of a loader, construction association members collect food at their workplaces, and the community is invited to help fill the bucket with donations.
“We call it our ‘Load the Loader’ event,” Friesen said.
Arjun Pillai/Daily Herald
Bill Powalinsky places the first food donation into a front-end loader as Shannon Friesen, president and CEO of the Construction Association of Saskatchewan, looks on during the Load the Loader fundraiser outside Co-op on Tuesday.
She said one of the association’s members brought the loader to the site Tuesday morning. CASK members had also been collecting food for several weeks before the event.
Friesen said the fundraiser has been held before in Saskatoon and Regina, but Tuesday marked the first time it came to Prince Albert. She said the response was strong early in the day, with lineups at the barbecue and the loader close to full before organizers had even collected donations from member workplaces.
“We know it’s going to be overflowed,” Friesen said.
Arjun Pillai/Daily Herald
Volunteers serve burgers and drinks during the Load the Loader fundraiser outside Co-op on Tuesday. Patty Hughes, CEO of the Prince Albert and District Chamber of Commerce, was among those helping at the barbecue.
Friesen said the loader was chosen because it reflects the construction industry and gives the public a visible goal to support. The association also uses the event to create a friendly challenge between communities.
She said previous Load the Loader events have collected large amounts of food in other cities, including one event that brought in seven tons of groceries. She said final numbers from this year’s Prince Albert, Saskatoon and Regina events will be shared after the season is complete.
Co-op partnered on the local event by hosting the barbecue and selling grocery donation bags at the tills. Friesen said all food donations, cash donations and money from the barbecue go to the food bank.
She said the $5 barbecue also helped draw people to the site.
“People like it,” Friesen said. “It’s a way to draw people to the table.”
Arjun Pillai/Daily Herald
A customer leaves the Load the Loader barbecue with two burgers Tuesday after stopping by the fundraiser outside Co-op. Proceeds from the barbecue went to the Prince Albert Food Bank.
Mayor Powalinsky made the first donation into the loader. Friesen said his presence showed strong community support, along with others who stopped by during the fundraiser.
“Mayor Powalinsky has always been a huge supporter of the construction association,” she said. “Strong community leadership, so awesome to see him out here.”
Kim Scruby, executive director of the Prince Albert Food Bank, said the timing of the fundraiser is important.
“This has been great,” Scruby said. “We get a lot of donations at Christmas time, but going into summer the shelves start getting pretty bare.”
Arjun Pillai/Daily Herald
A volunteer dressed as a hotdog helps direct people to the $5 barbecue lunch during the Load the Loader fundraiser outside Co-op on Tuesday. Prince Albert Food Bank executive director Kim Scruby can be seen behind her.
Scruby said demand at the food bank has been rising steadily, similar to food banks across the country. He said inflation, higher rents, gas prices and grocery costs are leaving many households with less money at the end of the month.
He said non-perishable food is always useful, including pasta, rice, canned goods and baby food. The food bank also accepts pet food.
“About 30 per cent of our clients coming in now are asking for pet food,” Scruby said.
Scruby said the food bank checks donated items and follows guidelines before putting food on the shelves. He said that is especially important because about half of the people served are children.
The donations collected Tuesday are expected to move quickly.
“It’ll go straight on the shelves and probably out the door sooner than later,” Scruby said.
Scruby said the event also helps bring the food bank in front of the community and shows the cooperation between local businesses, organizations and leaders.
“It’s so PA,” he said.
arjun.pillai@paherald.sk.ca
