Skip to content

Cram the Cargo event helping to fill Terrace food bank shelves

MacCarthy GM and Prevost RV & Marine are collecting donations through the end of November
19181247_web1_copy_TST-Cram-the-cargo
Janine Kraft, marketing manager for MacCarthy GM, in front of the Cram the Cargo food drive’s 20-foot trailer parked outside Save-on-Foods on Oct. 28. (Brittany Gervais/Terrace Standard)

Terrace dealerships are asking residents to help them cram a 20-foot long cargo trailer with donations for the Terrace Churches Food Bank.

This is the first ‘Cram the Cargo’ fundraiser held in Terrace, says Janine Kraft, marketing manager for the local MacCarthy GM dealership. The initiative started on Oct. 1 and will continue until the end of November, involving GM’s three dealerships in Terrace and Prince Rupert, along with Prevost RV & Marine.

“We’ve all used the food bank at some point in our lives, it’s a necessary service as far as I’m concerned,” Kraft says. “When it comes down to choosing between Christmas gifts for your kids and feeding your family — we never want people to make that choice.”

The campaign is taking a new spin on food drives by challenging donors to fill an entire trailer for the local food bank.

They’re accepting all non-perishable food items, especially ingredients that can be made into larger meals, like kidney beans for chili or boxes of Kraft dinner. Diapers, pet food, and laundry detergent are also usually in high-demand. Cash donations always help volunteers buy fresh produce as well, Kraft says.

“A cargo trailer would be really impressive to show up with at the food bank. Many, many man-hours go into feeding the hungry in the community. It’s not something that stops, it’s a consistent need.”

Save-on-Foods and Safeway have partnered with the two dealerships in the campaign to allow the cargo trailer to be set up outside between the two grocery stores for people to donate. Kraft says the community support has been quickly gaining momentum.

“Local gyms, local restaurants are all jumping on board, some people have straight up given me cash to go buy groceries, some people are holding their own in-house food drives,” she says. “This is happening all over the community. It takes a village when it comes to feeding the hungry.”

The trailer will be typically parked outside of Safeway on Saturdays and Sundays, moving to Save-on-Foods on Sundays and Mondays.

READ MORE: More seniors in Terrace area struggling to afford food

Here’s how you can get involved:

  • Visit Safeway on Nov. 2 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on Nov. 3 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. to drop off donations.
  • On Nov. 5, grab a pizza by the slice at Safeway. All proceeds going to Cram the Cargo.
  • On Nov. 9, donate at Safeway from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., or drop by from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Nov. 10.
  • The trailer will be back at Save-on-Foods on Nov. 16-17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  • Cram the Cargo then goes back to Safeway on Nov. 23 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and on Nov. 24 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Through the month of November, McCarthy GM in Terrace and Prince Rupert will also donate $100 from sales of new and used vehicles to the food bank. Donations made in Prince Rupert will go towards the Northcoast Transition Society.


 


brittany@terracestandard.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter

19181247_web1_TST-cram-the-cargo2
The Cram the Cargo campaign is taking a new spin on food drives by challenging donors to fill an entire trailer for the Terrace Churches Food Bank. (Brittany Gervais/Terrace Standard)