The people behind the Spirit of St. Albert are hosting the organization's first annual baby food drive this Saturday.
People often donate to the St. Albert Food Bank without thinking of the needs of our city's youngest citizens: Babies, said committee chair Cheryl Mackenzie.
"I think that the perception that we don't need it in St. Albert is completely wrong. It's in demand and unfortunately, when we run food drives, infants aren't front of mind," she said.
"This is something that we're trying to bring awareness to and remind everybody that just because we think we're solid and have a solid foundation in St. Albert, we have families that need help. We're just trying to reach out and provide that assistance any way we can."
The event runs from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 9 at St. Albert Place. Organizers are asking that members of the public bring cans or jars of non-perishable baby food as well as items like diapers, clothing and blankets for young children up to 24 months. Cash and other food donations will be accepted as well.
During the drive, Jen Broe, founder and president of Baby Gourmet, will present a donation of 2,500 servings of organic baby food.
For more information, call Mackenzie at 780-907-1034 or visit www.spiritofstalbert.ca.
St. Albert makes top 20 for big barbecue
The city has been chosen as one of 20 finalists in the running for a national grocery store chain's community building event.
The competition for the President's Choice BBQTown is down to the last few days of voting. On the line is a huge barbecue party for up to 5,000 people. It will be co-hosted by Bob Blumer, host of Food Network Canada's World's Weirdest Restaurants, and the party will feature a performance by Juno winning group Hedley.
A $25,000 donation to the President's Choice Children's Charity will also be made on behalf of the community. It will be used to support a local nutrition program such as Breakfast for Learning. It offers nutritious meals to kids who go to school hungry. Organizer Glenys Edwards says that the money – if won – would be a huge boon to the program.
"We are very grateful for community donations. Our program relies heavily on community support. $25,000 … would probably support us for a couple of years."
Voting can be done online at www.foodnetwork.ca/pc. People can vote once per day.
Voting ends on June 11 with the winner announced on June 14.
