This holiday season a long term local Winnipeg organization and a “new to Winnipeg” company partner together for an amazing campaign to help feed local families in need.
The Gingerbread Family campaign runs until Dec 31/17 and is a 20 year tradition for Good Earth Coffeehouse! For every package of Gingerbread Family cookies sold, Good Earth will donate $1 to local food banks in communities where Good Earth Coffeehouses are located to ensure that no family goes hungry this holiday season. That means our very own Winnipeg Harvest will reap the benefits of this campaign!
Aaaand guess what Winnipeg, we just got our first Good Earth Coffeehouse in late October! I was at the grand opening.Take a look if you haven’t already been there yet:
As you know, I love the Winnipeg Harvest, it’s such a great community organization. I try to volunteer as often as I can and this year my daughter was keen to be involved too. I caught up with Sheldon Appelle, Communications Manager at Winnipeg Harvest to chat about this campaign and it’s importance.
Sheldon Appelle, Communications Manager – Winnipeg Harvest
INTERVIEW
NB: Hello Sheldon how are ya?
SA: Great thanks!
NB: For those who don’t know, tell us a little bit about Winnipeg Harvest.
SA: Our goals are to collect and share surplus food with people who are hungry and to offer training opportunities to help people step up and out of poverty. Our ultimate goal is to eliminate the need for food banks in our community
NB: Wow, those are serious goals, and you serve all of Manitoba, not just Winnipeg?
SA: That’s correct. We help to distribute to all of the local food banks across the province.
NB: What does it truly take for Winnipeg Harvest to “Feed A Family”?
SA: We are able to feed 64,000 families a month, and everyone can help in 3 ways: money, food and time. Money is the main aspect as we use those dollars for logistics and transportation. Every single year our operating budget is what keeps us afloat. The only item we buy is baby formula. The food you all donate is put to great use, however we have a few staple items that we constantly need.
TOP 10 MOST WANTED FOOD ITEMS:
1) Canned Fish and Poultry
2) Canned Fruit and Vegetables
3) Canned Stew, Chili, Beans
4) Peanut Butter
5) Whole Grain/Wheat Pasta
6) Baby Food – Food, Infant Cereal
7) Rice
8) Canned Spaghetti Sauce or Tomatoes
9) Cereal
10) Canned Soup
NB: Ok, good to know, and wow, 64,000 families per MONTH. That’s amazing. So, if the only thing you buy is baby food then you must have a ton of amazing volunteers!
SA: Yes, we have two to three hundred volunteers on any given day and we couldn’t survive without them. They sort food, they handle reception, they load and drive trucks you name it, we have a volunteer that does it!
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- Volunteers at Winnipeg Harvest – Behind the Scenes
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- Volunteers at Winnipeg Harvest – Behind the Scenes
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- Volunteers at Winnipeg Harvest – Behind the Scenes
NB: That must feel amazing and be so fulfilling, my daughter is really starting to get the volunteer bug, and I’d love my son, who is only 5, to volunteer as well.
SA: Winnipeg Harvest provides great opportunities to volunteer, if even for an hour. December would be great for your kids to volunteer considering there are a few weeks without school. We have kids as young as your son helping out, no age is too young or too old!
NB: Thanks so much for your time Sheldon, any last words to the folks of Winnipeg?
SA: We are very happy to take on this new initiative, the more gingerbread families sold means the more families that can be fed in Manitoba.
Ok folks, so not only will buying a Gingerbread Family help feed families, but if you share a picture of your Gingerbread Family cookies on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #FeedAFamily, Good Earth Coffeehouse will donate an additional $1 to Winnipeg Harvest!
Let’s head to Good Earth and SELL OUT the Gingerbread Families for local Winnipeggers in need!
This is the perfect time to tell ya that I also have a $50 gift card for Good Earth Coffeehouse to giveaway.
Enter below, contest open to Winnipeggers only, ends Dec 22/17 – GOOD LUCK!
I am not surprised. I have volunteered there and also donate regularly. so much dedication and hard work goes into every day there. Thank you for what you do for our communities vulnerable.
I’m shocked at how many families they feed in a month.
I am surprised that 64,000 per month are fed. That’s not people…families. We as a community should not be seeing this many families being effected. That is very surprising to me.
I’m surprised that the only item Winnipeg Harvest buys is baby formula!
The amount of teamwork! It takes a village.
I’m so amazed at what they do for the community!