The Regina Food Bank is one of the places benefiting from a recent donation from Purolator, meant to help expand food collection and deliver more food. The food bank is now the owner of a refurbished delivery truck, once used to carry mail and parcels. The truck will now join the Regina Food Bank vehicle fleet, making deliveries throughout Regina. “We are delivering food and meals to our partners every day. A huge amount of driving and very complicated logistics. This Purolator truck is going to make that so much easier for us,” said Mary Weimer, the CEO of the Regina Food Bank. On July 29, Purolator announced they were donating 14 retired delivery trucks to food banks across the country, including one in Alberta, five in Ontario, one in B.C., one in P.E.I, one in Saskatchewan, one in New Brunswick, and four in Quebec. The first donations were made to Kanata Food Cupboard in Ottawa and Haven on the Queensway in Etobicoke, Ont. at the end of July. The Regina Food Bank received its donation on Wednesday. The truck donated in Regina is roughly 10 years old, and has been cleaned and repainted. The shelving once used for deliveries is still installed and will be used future food runs. “We’ve done 33 [vehicle donations] in the past few years. We would like to continue going,” said Lyndon Klymchuk, a unit manager at Purolator. Purolator has been committed to helping reduce food insecurity across Canada through the Purolator Tackle Hunger program for more than 20 years. John Ferguson, president and CEO of Purolator, said the organization is always looking for ways to support local food banks and the people who need them. “We have seen firsthand how these truck donations can help organizations expand their operations, deliver more food and reach people who might otherwise go without support,” he said in Purolator’s update. The support from Purolator is critically important to the Regina Food Bank. Aside from the delivery truck donation, the Regina Food Bank also receives thousands of pounds of food through the Purolator Tackle Hunger food drives at Saskatchewan Roughrider games. “The Tackle Hunger Program is really such a grassroots employee driven activity. I hope it inspires other businesses and organizations to see the impact that Purolator is having on the food bank and maybe inspires them to get involved,” Weimer said. The donations were made possible through a new process developed with Food Banks Canada.
