Give Back to the South Porcupine Food Bank for Giving Tuesday

It’s a good day to be in the giving spirit.

Today is Giving Tuesday, a global giving movement that started in 2013, that encourages holiday shoppers to give back to local charities after the shopping spree of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

“It’s a way to get away from the Black Friday and Cyber Monday,” said Peter Davis, Treasurer for the South Porcupine Food Bank. “and give back to your favorite charities. So we hope that one of your favorite charities will be the South Porcupine Food Bank today.”

To mark Giving Tuesday, the South Porcupine Food Bank is collecting food and money donations today with the Fill the Van Event. Their van will be parked outside the Giant Tiger at the South Porcupine Mall today from 10 AM to 4 PM. Peter Davis says they’re hoping the van is overflowing by the end of the day.

“The van will be parked outside the entrance to Giant Tiger,” Davis said, “and people are encouraged to help fill the van and maybe even over-flow the van. So come on out and fill the van today!”

Apart from the Fill the Van Event at the South Porcupine Mall today, the food bank is thanking Giant Tiger, Metro and Dollarama for supporting the food bank and helping fill food bins and promoting the event. Food Basics has also been supporting the food bank by filling their food bin almost every week.

If you’re still feeling generous this afternoon, then stop by the South Porcupine Food Bank at 32 Main Street in South Porcupine for their Open House and Holiday Donation Event.

“It’s basically a holiday open house,” Davis explained, “Come down and make a donation to the food bank. We’re selling stocking stuffers. So if you’ve got people on your list that you just don’t know what to give them, buy a $20 stocking stuffer.”

The stocking stuffers help support a needy family with a turkey dinner for Christmas. Supporters of the food bank have previously contributed 20,000 lbs of food and $23,782 to the food bank in 2018. It costs the food bank about  $5,000-6,000 a month to operate, of which 71% is spent on groceries. The goal of the Holiday Donation Event is to raise $20,000 by December 31st, 2018, providing the shelter with 4 months worth of operating costs. The stocking stuffers are $20 each.

Giving Tuesday is a global day of generosity that’s gained traction into its sixth year. Davis says this is the time of year for giving and thinking of those less fortunate.

“It’s really important to reflect back,” said Davis, “and think about everything that we’re thankful for. And be able to reach out and say ‘yeah, I can make a difference. I’ve been blessed; let’s go and bless somebody else.”