3 December 2008
Holiday Train Shines Light on Food Bank's Dire Needs
Hundreds of Windsor area residents check out the CP Holiday
Train at the
Canadian Pacific Rail yard on Caron Avenue Wednesday, 3 Dec 2008.
Windsor Ontario - The brightly decorated Holiday Train
pulled into Windsor Wednesday night, but behind the seasonal cheeriness lies a grimmer reality.
For 10 years, Canadian Pacific Railway has sponsored two trains - one in Western Canada and other in southern Ontario and the U.S.
midwest - to bring entertainment to thousands of people as it stops in three to four cities and towns per day.
This year making 128 scheduled stops over 20 days in both countries, the trains have another purpose, however: To donate
corporate funding to local food banks and urge people to make their own donations as well.
In this tough economic climate, the $3,000 donated by CPR to the Windsor Essex County Food Bank Association, is welcome news but more
help is needed, said association president Sylvia Harron.
Donations to the association's 20-odd food banks are down, while demand is up, she said. "It's not good at all.
We've been very overwhelmed with the number of people that are needing help this year.
She said some food banks are experiencing a 50 percent increase in clients, while at the same seeing a 30-50 percent drop
in donations.
"The people that used to donate to us are now coming to us for help," Harron said. "The working poor - people that have
not asked for help before - are now looking for help."
Applications are being taken until Friday afternoon at the Salvation Army centre on Church Street for families needing toys and
Christmas meals, said executive director Malba Holliday.
She said as of Wednesday 1,600 families - including some 3,000 children - had applied.
In the last three months demand has increased by 215 people each month, and in November alone 1,630 people came in looking for food.
"Basically as soon as the food is coming in it's going off the shelf," Holliday said. "We don't have the resources like
we would have had a couple of years ago or even last year."
Randy Marsh of CPR said donations at each stop have increased this year.
In the last 10 years the train has raised 1.8 million pounds of food and $3.5 million for local food banks.
"The reaction this year has been amazing. We've noticed a big bump up in all the locations."
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