On September 9th, over 150 Redeemer students set out into the Meadowlands neighbourhood with the ambitious goal of collecting 10,000 pounds of food. The drive benefitted Neighbour to Neighbour, a local food bank and community outreach centre. The summer months are typically quite challenging for food banks as donations are scarce. This summer was no different.

After the distribution of 4,000 paper grocery bags and flyers to each home during the week prior to the drive, nonperishable food items were left on front porches for collection by students. Volunteer drivers from Ancaster Christian Reformed Church, Meadowlands Christian Reformed Church, and Ancaster Dental assisted in driving donations back to campus. Once on campus, the items were transferred into a large truck and driven directly to the food bank for weighing and sorting.

The Meadowlands neighbourhood and Redeemer’s support community were extremely generous—students surpassed their goal, collecting 10,046 pounds of food!

The Meadowlands neighbourhood and Redeemer’s support community were extremely generous—students surpassed their goal, collecting 10,046 pounds of food! Donations are integral to Neighbour to Neighbour during the month of September as they strive to serve their clients before many of the traditional food drives occur around Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The food drive began in 2009 as an opportunity for new students to familiarize themselves with their new neighbourhood and immediately begin their university experience through acts of good citizenship. Since the beginning of this event, Redeemer has been able to collect and donate over 60,000 pounds worth of food to those in need. Neighbour to Neighbour serves 1,100 Hamilton families a month and provides 950,000 pounds of food each year.

A huge thank you to all who participated by either collecting the food, driving, or donating.

A special thanks to Ancaster Dental Care, Stephen J. Dunn Insurance, The Meeting House, and Meadowlands Fellowship Christian Reformed Church, who sponsored the food drive this year and helped cover costs.