Crossfield didn’t win Kraft Hockeyville’s grand prize. It got something else entirely. Late Saturday, the town got a call no one expected.
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Kraft Heinz would donate 10,000 pounds of its food products to the local food bank—a gesture organizers called "deeply appreciated."
"What a beautiful surprise! This was completely unexpected," said Angela Wigglesworth, president of the Crossfield and Madden Food Bank, in a written statement.
"It would have been incredible to win the grand prize to upgrade the Crossfield arena, but we are so happy to accept this donation of food from Kraft. 10,000 pounds of food is going to make a huge impact for us and for the vulnerable community members who access our services."
The donation means less money spent on groceries and more on the people who need help most.
"We never imagined that a bid to support arena upgrades in our town would turn into literally feeding the community," she said. "We will be seeing the ripples from this gift in Crossfield for a long time to come."
When Cheryl Longeway picked up the phone, she almost cried.
"It’s not a make or break for our food bank… but it’s going to make a difference in so many ways," said Longeway, who co-founded the food bank with Wigglesworth.
"I quickly phoned my sister, who is the president, and she’s like, ‘I can’t even believe this.’"
Pressure rising, shelves tightening
The gift comes at a critical moment. In 2024, the food bank gave out 337 full hampers — each with up to three weeks of food, plus pantry and fridge/freezer access. The number more than doubled in the final quarter, reaching 133 in Q4. As of March 31, the food bank has already issued 66 hampers in 2025.
Weekly "Top-Up Thursdays" now serve an average of 10 households, offering access to Food Mesh and pantry stock. In December, 89 Christmas hampers were delivered, complete with meals, pajamas, gifts and even pet food. Birthday packages and school backpacks round out the year.
"We get phone calls from people saying, ‘Could you put extra lunch food in there? We don’t have food to take to school,’" Longeway said.
It serves seniors, families, single adults — and it’s run entirely by volunteers.
"Just the other day I took a phone call, and she’s like, ‘I’ve never had to ask for a hamper in my life. I don’t even know how to do this,’" she said. "That’s how bad the need is — they’re still calling, even if they know me personally."
Now a registered non-profit, the food bank also rescues surplus food and will soon take over school snack programs at Crossfield Elementary and W.G. Murdoch. A rural FCSS grant helped it purchase freezers and commercial tables last year.
Still, its modest location poses a challenge.
"Our current location doesn’t have double doors," Longeway said. "So when the food arrives, it’s going to be all hands on deck. We’ll have to hand-walk it all in."
$25,000 for the rink — and something more
The town didn’t walk away empty-handed. As a national runner-up, Crossfield got $25,000 for arena upgrades — plus $10,000 in hockey equipment. The winning community, Saint-Boniface, Que., will receive $250,000 and the right to host an NHL® pre-season game.
"Although it wasn’t the $250,000, there was just so much goodness that still came from this," said Tayla Grochowich, one of the local organizers.
"That is honestly just like such a win on top."
Grochowich said the $25,000 will help improve accessibility at Pete Knight Arena.
"We’re thinking about putting in some new accessible doors that open automatically at the front there," she said. "That money is going to start there… and just see how far we can stretch that money, whether it be through grants or that sort of thing."
The Town of Crossfield has opened a dedicated reserve account for arena upgrades and is now accepting public donations in person. Online payment options are in the works.
'It was like pure magic'
On announcement day last Saturday, the town lit up.
"It was like a palpable excitement," Grochowich said. "I remember looking around and I was like, I feel like I could cry. Whether you played hockey, whether you played lacrosse, whether your kids used it for a birthday party — everybody was just rooting for Crossfield to their core."
Thousands poured into the Pete Knight Arena grounds. Didsbury. Carstairs. Crossfield. Generations of families. Even a man who helped build the rink nearly 50 years ago came out.
"It didn’t matter that day what your connection to the rink was. Everybody was proud to live in Crossfield," Grochowich said.
"It was like pure magic."
Longeway agreed.
"The people that coordinated this were just incredible," she said. "It really brought our community together more than I’ve seen in a long time."
Because Crossfield placed in the top four, it won’t be eligible to enter Kraft Hockeyville again for 10 years. But Grochowich hopes their run will inspire nearby towns.
"Look at Didsbury. Didsbury lost their ice plant this year," she said. "I would just encourage our surrounding communities that have rinks that need a little extra TLC to go for it next year. We would, of course, rally behind them."
And maybe the best part?
"We had no idea that we were going to get this food," Grochowich said. "We just appreciate everyone who kept showing up. It really was such an awesome experience."
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