Muskoka Oldtimers Fall Food Drive is Tuesday October 2nd, 2018

Townspeople come together in support of the Manna Food Bank

(Bracebridge, September 20, 2018) — Preparations are underway for the annual Fall Food Drive for the Manna Food Bank, organized by the Muskoka Oldtimers Hockey Club.

Twenty-seven years on, you are likely familiar with the drill. On the first Tuesday of October — this year it’s Tuesday October 2nd — scores of Bracebridge school kids will cover as much of the town as they can in one evening, hurrying door-to-door collecting non-perishable food donations and cheques that residents leave in bags on the porch or on their doorstep. Once the vehicles are full or the route is finished — whichever comes first, they then make their way to the Bracebridge Fairgrounds where dozens more volunteers unpack and sort thousands of pounds of food in preparation for another winter. It’s a huge undertaking, hard work for everyone involved, and there’s a lot of positive energy floating around that evening. This is the largest foodraiser of the year for Manna.

While the food drive would not be the success it is without the Oldtimers at the helm, “it really does draw on the wider community,” notes Oldtimers lead organizer Rob Fraser. The organizers and many of the volunteers are Oldtimers; but schools, businesses, churches, Muskoka Pioneers, Girl Guides and other service organizations encourage volunteers to sign up as well. Local businesses help get the word out and donate snacks, refreshments and equipment to make the evening run smoothly.

And then there is the food and the monetary donations themselves. Thousands of Bracebridge residents take the time and trouble to contribute non-perishable food items and write cheques in support of Manna.

“The involvement of the community is huge,” says John Cameron, one of Manna’s lead organizers. “Beyond the drivers and the runners and those who volunteer at the fairgrounds, so many Bracebridgers donate food. We are grateful to the Oldtimers and to the entire community. Manna simply wouldn’t exist without this spirit of generosity.”

The non-perishable food items that Manna needs most this year include;

• Canned: Fish, meat, fruit, vegetables, pasta sauce & baked beans
• Rice and dry pasta
• Crackers
• Powdered milk
• Baby formula
• Sugar
• Flour
• Breakfast cereal
• Peanut butter
• School snacks
• Macaroni & cheese

To keep the runners running, please bag your donation in advance and set it outside your door by 5pm. We do our best to cover as much of the town as we can, but invariably some homes get missed. If yours is one of them, please contact Manna at info@mannafoodbank.ca or 705-646-0114 to arrange a pick-up, or drop it at one of the donation bins, located all-year-round at Gagnon’s Your Independent Grocer, Food Basics, the Bracebridge Sportsplex, Momma Bear’s Ice Cream & Sweets on Manitoba Street, the Town offices at 1000 Taylor Court, as well as many of the local churches.

Manna is one of several local charities that benefit from the good work of The Muskoka Oldtimers, which is potentially holding its 38th annual hockey tournament in early 2019. If you would like to participate in the Fall Food Drive as a volunteer, email Rob Fraser at rob.fraser@tldsb.on.ca. To volunteer at the Fairgrounds email Greg Einarson at gregandjo@sympatico.ca. Learn more about the Oldtimers at www.muskokaoldtimers.ca.

Located at Unit 45 – 345 Ecclestone Drive, the Manna Food Bank is open Tuesdays and Fridays from 1-4pm. Manna helps hundreds of local families put food on the table every year. Manna is entirely volunteer run and gratefully accepts donations all year around. You can also donate online at www.mannafoodbank.ca either one time, or you can set up a monthly donation. Serving Muskoka since 1989, The Manna Food Bank is a registered charity. Tax receipts are available for financial donations. You can also find Manna on Facebook.

 

If you would like to participate in the Fall Food Drive as a volunteer, email Rob Fraser at rob.fraser@tldsb.on.ca.

To volunteer at the Fairgrounds email Greg Einarson at gregandjo@sympatico.ca.

Learn more about the Oldtimers at www.muskokaoldtimers.ca.