J.D. Potié
SHAWVILLE March 27, 2019
On March 27, a group of volunteers from Bouffe Pontiac collected food and funds inside the entrance of Giant Tiger in Shawville for the second annual Food and Fund Drive.
Hosted by Valley Heritage Radio, the participants invited the community to donate sums of money and food to the charitable organization.
Seated behind a table with donation boxes for money and black bins full of food, volunteers smiled as they greeted customers entering the front doors of the building.
According to Bouffe Pontiac director, Kim Laroche the fundraiser is a great way for the organization to receive donations of non-perishable food that they would normally have to pay for themselves.
“When we do these fundraisers, we don’t have to buy as many products and we don’t have a lot of money,” said Laroche. “ So fundraisers like these make it so we’ll probably be good for a whole week, with the money and the food because we don’t have to buy it.”
For John McMaster, a producer at Valley Heritage Radio, the Food & Fund Drive is a simple way for the station to show its appreciation for volunteers within the community.
“This is what Valley Heritage Radio is all about,” said McMaster. “We’re a community radio station. We go out and we help our community as best as we can whenever we can.”
Bringing in more than 82 kg of food and $700 with the initiative, Laroche said the second annual Food & Fund Drive was a blast to be a part of and was thrilled about how many people donated.
“I found it super,” said Laroche. “The people were very generous. Barely anyone passed by without donating something. Everyone gave something, even if it was one dime in their pocket, so everything went really well. Thanks to activities like these, we also get exposed to people who might not know we exist. So, if they ever need our services, this offers us some visibility.”
