Over $11,400 in Pork Donated for Underprivileged
ALBERTA - Alberta’s pork producers have donated just over $11,400 in pork products to help support the province’s underprivileged. The proceeds were raised at a silent auction during the banquet held at the Annual General Meeting of Alberta Pork on 10-11 December in Calgary.Three local charities, all dedicated to meeting the needs of the underprivileged, were beneficiaries of the silent auction. They included the Mustard Seed in Calgary, the Calgary Dream Centre and the Interfaith Food Bank Society of Lethbridge.
“For the past several years, pork producers and others in the industry have come together to support charitable organizations throughout the province through the silent auction. That tradition continues this year,“ says Jodi Hesse, director of policy and communications for Alberta Pork, the organization which represents the province’s pork producers.
“We see it as a way to thank the communities where our producers live and work for their ongoing support. It’s also a reminder, at a time when many people both inside and outside of the pork industry are facing an uncertain future, of the people who face similar challenges on a daily basis.“
Goods and supplies auctioned at the event were generously donated by pork producers, industry suppliers and other pork industry stakeholders, says Hesse, with proceeds used to purchase pork products for the charitable organizations. “As in past years, the donation was then matched in pork products from several industry processors, which this year included Maple Leaf, Sunterra Meats, Olymel and Sturgeon Valley Pork.“
The Mustard Seed Street Ministry is a Christian humanitarian organization that provides for the essential needs of Calgary’s less fortunate. The ministry also equips and empowers individuals through progressive education and employment training, supported housing, health and wellness services, and arts and recreation programs, says Mustard Seed communications specialist Courtney Fliss, who adds that donations such as this are critical at a time when charitable giving trends have been affected by a slowing economy.
“We have thousands of individuals who come to us in need of support, compassion and care. A donation like this makes a meaningful difference for our clients as it cares for their essential needs while helping them work towards their goals and, ultimately, a better future,“ says Fliss.
Calgary Dream Centre is a service that helps re-integrate disadvantaged men back into the community by providing education and residential care. It relies on food bank contributions and other donations from the community to feed its clients, says kitchen manager Bill Moody. “At any given time we’re feeding about 120 clients three meals a day. Donations allow us to feed our clients without raising their rent,“ he says.