The gloves are on.
Efforts to fight hunger in Fort Frances with the local Walmart store providing the Salvation Army with more than $8,200.
The money comes as part of the chain’s Fight Hunger, Spark Change campaign that ran earlier in the year.
The Salvation Army’s Arthur Heathcote says it is money to be used to stock their food bank.
“We continue to see people coming to the food bank, and just to be able to have those food shelves stocked and people able to select nutritional food is very important for them and their families,” says Heathcote.
This is the 8th year that Walmart has run its campaign supporting local food banks.
More than $6,200 came from shoppers who made donations as part of their purchases in February and March.
Walmart added an extra $2,000.
“We’re just happy to help participate and help in the community and be able to provide food to those in need,” says Ryan Roberts, Fort Frances store manager.
“All the money that’s raised in the store stays here in our local communities. So it’s really a great partnership that we have here.”
Heathcote adds that support from corporations like Walmart is important to keeping their food bank going.
“They’re the ones that provide the opportunity for us to keep going. For our Christmas campaign, we do our kettles, that type of thing, and then we have Safeway, who looked after the summer. Walmart’s coming in at the fall. It’s a piece to a puzzle.”
Heathcote notes it has been an average summer, with about 60 households making visits to the food bank each month.
