17 December 2010
2010 CP Holiday Train Wraps Up Another Successful Season of Giving
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The Holiday Train - Date unknown Canadian Pacific. |
Calgary Alberta - The 2010 CP Holiday Train has reached another milestone as the program
completed its 12th year as North America's long-running food bank fundraiser. On Friday night, at its final stop in Port Moody, British Columbia, CP announced
the Holiday Train has surpassed the $5 million mark in total funds raised since the program was launched.
With last-minute donations still coming in, the rolling fundraiser's preliminary cash totals from its three-week journey across Canada and the U.S. stand at
more than $700,000 thanks to large crowds and supportive communities along the route. When combined with the $80,000 raised from sales of the CD, "Holiday
Train Tracks" at events, the monetary total now stands at $5.6 million since 1999.
"All of us with the CP Holiday Train are proud of how we have been able to act as a catalyst for thousands of Canadians and Americans to so strongly help
their neighbours who may need support through a food bank," said CP President and CEO, Fred Green. "Whether it is Scranton, Cartier, Milwaukee,
Pingree Grove, Swift Current, Red Deer, or Port Moody, each year the Holiday Train's goal of feeding our communities grows stronger."
In addition to cash, preliminary totals for the amount of food collected comes in at 150 thousand pounds, which places the 12-year total at 2.45 million pounds.
Starting in late November, two brightly decorated freight trains, each decorated with hundreds of thousands of lights and a special box car transformed into a
stage, travelled to more than 140 communities in six Canadian provinces and eight states in the U.S. Midwest and Northeast to help raise money and food for
local food shelves. Everything that was raised in each community remained in that community for local distribution. The Odds entertained on the Canadian train
while Melanie Doane headlined the US Tour.
Something else that added even more energy to the 2010 CP Holiday Train was with the Program's first-ever animated YouTube music video in which MC Elfie and
Santa both rap about the Holiday Train: www.youTube.com/holidaytrain.
The Holiday Train Tracks CD is still available for purchase on iTunes with all proceeds going to support food banks.
In the first 11 years of the Holiday Train, $4.8 million dollars and 2.3 million pounds of food had been donated.
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