A friendly challenge will ultimately help feed local residents.
Bancroft Mayor Paul Jenkins has reached out to area municipalities to support North Hastings Community Cupboard with a cash donation.
The first-ever “Moose-Sized Challenge” has participating municipalities making a monetary contribution to help address food insecurity across the region. An estimated one in four residents may experience challenges accessing enough nutritious food.
The challenge has been issued to the municipalities of Hastings Highlands, Faraday, Carlow/Mayo, Wollaston, Tudor/Cashel and Limerick.
The Town of Bancroft will match participating municipal donations dollar-for-dollar up to a combined total of $1,000, doubling the impact of every contribution.
Jenkins said he would like nothing more than to make a trip into the town treasurer’s office to ask for a cheque and added neighbouring communities have been generous in the past when it comes to worthy causes.
“They have been extremely generous on anything to do on fundraising for the local hospital, but this is the first time we have put out this challenge so I guess we are about to find out.”
Jenkins said he hopes he has to knock on the door of one town staffer to write a big cheque.
“If it goes beyond expectations I guess I’ll have to make a trip to the treasurer to see if we can come up with any more money.”
Jenkins said he can’t take full credit for the idea as he followed the lead from local realtors who held a food drive in Bancroft to collect non-perishable items.
“We thought we would piggyback on their initiative and take it to the municipal level. Dave and Claire Crowe really started it and we thought why don’t we tag on to it. With the prices of everything these days, food banks are seeing an all-time high in demand.”
