A holidays season tradition of ours continues this weekend.
The Moose FM Spirit of Giving Radiothon runs on Saturday, to raise funds for North Hastings Community Cupboard and Bancroft & Area Kids in Needs.
Moose FM’s Sarah Kipp and Joël Lamoureux will be at No Frills from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and at Foodland from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
They’ll be soliciting donations and raising awareness of how the two nonprofits help our community.
Radiothon supports Community Cupboard as need rises
The Cupboard’s Monica Piercey says more families, and even people with full-time jobs, are turning to food banks. It’s a trend being felt nationally and locally.
A recent Food Banks Canada report says 1 in 6 people who use food banks are employed.
“It’s a big deal when someone who has never been to a food bank before has to walk through the doors for the first time,” she says. “That’s really hard. We’re seeing people who are very shaken by this. They’re saying, they work full time; ‘I can’t make ends meet anymore.’”
She said the rising demand means there’s greater need for food on shelves and for people who have the ability to donate to give.
Kids In Need raising funds for snowsuits, toy drive
Keri Musclow, a Bancroft & Area Kids in Need board member, says the radiothon raises crucial funds, which support the organization’s annual toy drive and its snowsuit program. About 170 families access Kids in Need programs annually and Musclow expects that number will soon rise.
“We’re run solely on donations,” she says. “We’re very fortunate to live in a community that is very generous and often comes together to support programs that need it. We have seen an influx (in families registering for support) and I think we’re going to continue to see that.”
People can make cash donations to both Kids in Need and Community Cupboard at the grocery stores on Saturday. You can also support these agencies through their Canada Helps websites.