Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Friendly competition the name of the game for Foodworx drive

Annual food drive brings in average of 4,000 pounds
news_whistler8-1
putting in work Whistler Food Bank coordinator Sara Jennings. file photot

Delta Whistler Village Suites general manager Jeff Kennedy has a message for any businesses looking to challenge the hotel for this year's Foodworx crown: "Bring it on."

But that's about where the trash talking stops.

"I kind of want to make sure to stay friends with everybody," Kennedy said with a laugh.

The Delta will be looking to defend its championship in the annual Crankworx-related food drive that pits businesses against each other in friendly competition to see who can bring in the most food.

"Our team is very proud of doing so well last year and obviously we want to push the rest of the community," Kennedy said.

This year's Foodworx kicks off Friday, Aug. 8 and runs until Monday, Aug. 18.

The business that donates the most food relative to number of employees will win a Call of the Wild ATV tour for four donated by Canadian Wilderness Adventures.

They'll also earn the right to call themselves Foodworx Champion 2014.

"It's successful in a lot of ways. It's one of our biggest food drives for sure," said Sara Jennings, Whistler Food Bank Coordinator.

The annual food drive helps boost the food bank during the slower summer months, and fill the shelves before things pick up in the fall.

"This is the biggest one for us prior to the fall season, and it's great to just see businesses sort of having a friendly competition amongst themselves," Jennings said.

"It kind of raises the profile of the food bank and makes people aware of our programs, and then other ways that they can help throughout the year as well."

In 2013 the food bank served 2,370 people, with 470 of those being children.

Sometimes the food bank would serve up to 80 visitors per day.

While some of those are repeat visitors, Jennings estimates around 52 per cent of the people who use the food bank only use it one time.

"The majority of people just need it to get them over a little time period of their life that they're struggling, and that time period is often very short," she said.

"But it's still helpful to have this service available... food is a basic human right and it's important that people have access to safe, healthy food."

On average, Foodworx brings in about 4,000 pounds of food annually.

"We live in a fantastic place," Kennedy said.

"It's important that we support each other, and any time that you have a local charity that you know goes right back into your community I think it's important that we as businesses in the community rally around the local charities and make sure they get the support that they need."

To register for Foodworx, email a contact name and phone number, as well as the business mailing address, to Sara Jennings at foodbank@mywcss.org.