By Shazia Nazir, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Milton Reporter
In a heartwarming display of community spirit, volunteers from Purolator, Food for Life, and The Salvation Army food banks in Milton joined forces to collect an impressive 3,236 pounds of donated food during Milton’s Purolator Tackle Hunger Red Bag campaign.
Over the past week, dedicated volunteers distributed 2,000 signature red bags to doorsteps in select community areas. In a remarkable show of generosity, residents eagerly filled these bags with non-perishable food to support their neighbours in Milton facing hunger.
Paul Keery, Chair of the Board of Directors at Food for Life, expressed his gratitude for the support. He said, “We continue to serve more households annually, which is why having corporate champions like Purolator run community food drives is so important. We are so thankful to the Milton residents who generously filled their red bags with food and to everyone involved in the Purolator Tackle Hunger program. The donations collected during this campaign will go a long way to help feed those facing food insecurity in Milton.”
This marked the third consecutive year that Purolator Tackle Hunger organized a Red Bag campaign in Milton, bringing the total amount raised for local Milton food banks to 6,700 pounds of food.
Carolina Rey, Manager of Organization Change Management at Purolator, shared her motivation for continuing this tradition, saying, “Food banks across the country are seeing an increased need for donations, which is why I wanted to continue this tradition of running our Milton Purolator Tackle Hunger Red Bag doorstep food drive. We started in 2021 by distributing 500 bags around my neighbourhood with my family and friends. Last year, we increased it to 700 bags, and this year, we took it to the next level by dropping off 2,000 bags with a team of volunteers.”
Notably, this Milton food drive was part of the inaugural Purolator Tackle Hunger National Red Bag campaign.