Waterloo Region, Ont., May 9, 2024 – Get your non-perishable food and cash donations ready!

On Monday, May 13, Melloul-Blamey and local first responders with Waterloo Fire Rescue, Kitchener Fire Department, Waterloo Regional Police Service, and Region of Waterloo Paramedic Services are teaming up to collect food and funds in support of The Food Bank of Waterloo Region’s spring Food & Fund Drive campaign.

The public is invited to stop by any Sobeys store in Kitchener-Waterloo, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m., to make a cash or non-perishable food donation during the Phil A Truck event, presented by Melloul-Blamey and named for The Food Bank’s mascot.

Sobeys shoppers can also buy a pre-filled bag with The Food Bank’s most needed food items and drop it off in the donation bin in the back of a Melloul-Blamey pickup truck.

“We’re so grateful to our first responders, Melloul-Blamey, and Sobeys for their passion and dedication to reducing food insecurity in Waterloo region. Every truck filled helps feed the one in 10 households in our community that is food-insecure and needs food assistance,” says Kim Wilhelm, CEO with The Food Bank of Waterloo Region.

Jeffrey B. Shantz, vice president of Melloul-Blamey Construction Inc., adds, “Every year, the team at Melloul-Blamey looks forward to supporting The Food Bank and our community at Phil A Truck. It’s a great opportunity to raise awareness about food insecurity in Waterloo region and collect food and fund donations to help feed our neighbours in need.”

Since 2011, when the partnership started, Melloul-Blamey’s commitment to food and funds has raised more than 330,000 meals for individuals and families struggling to access food. Melloul-Blamey’s employees also donate their time by attending events such as Waffles in the Warehouse and at sorting events throughout the year.

For every $1 raised during the Phil A Truck event, The Food Bank can provide two healthy and nutritious meals for people in need. The event’s food and funds raised will be added to the spring Food & Fund Drive campaign totals. This year’s spring campaign goal is 135,000 meals.

The food and funds that The Food Bank receives from the community help fill inventory gaps, buy food to meet diverse cultural and dietary needs, keep delivery trucks on the road, and support the Community Food Assistance Network—a system of more than 120 agencies and community programs working together to provide food, support, and services for people in need.

Participating locations

• Sobeys Bridgeport, 94 Bridgeport Road, Waterloo
• Sobeys Columbia, 450 Columbia Street West, Waterloo
• Sobeys Fischer-Hallman, 1187 Fischer-Hallman Road, Kitchener
• Sobeys Highland, 274 Highland Road West, Kitchener
• Sobeys Ira Needles, 235 Ira Needles Boulevard, Kitchener
• Sobeys Northfield, 640 Parkside Drive, Waterloo

About the First Responders to Food Bank 365 Program

The First Responders to Food Bank 365 program is a partnership between Melloul-Blamey, first responders, and The Food Bank. People can drop off non-perishable food donations to fire, police, and paramedic stations, 365 days a year, the same way they are open for service in the community. Since 2015, the First Responders to Food Bank 365 program has provided nearly 200,000 meals for people in need in Waterloo region.

About The Food Bank of Waterloo Region

Founded in 1984, The Food Bank of Waterloo Region (The Food Bank) was the first organization of its kind in Ontario dedicated to providing emergency food. Thirty-nine years after incorporation, The Food Bank continues to evolve to meet the needs of the community, ensuring no one goes hungry. The Food Bank acquires and distributes more than 6.8 million pounds of fresh, frozen, and non-perishable food to 120+ agencies and community programs throughout Waterloo region. Learn more at thefoodbank.ca.

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Media contact

Michelle Rickard
Manager, Marketing and Communications
The Food Bank of Waterloo Region
micheller@thefoodbank.ca