United Way has announced that the Fort Saskatchewan Food Bank will be its partner for the 2023 Heartland Challenge.
The Heartland Challenge is a program where companies work on initiatives to help their local communities.
"The need for food is on the rise," said United Way co-chair Alana Seymour. "Supporting the food bank was very important to the committee, who also saw the potential to use their skills to execute many of the projects the food bank has identified."
Some of these projects include revitalizing their break room, creating an outdoor garden and rainwater collection system, and closing off the year with a chilli cookoff.
As of right now, the food bank has a nook of their building being used as a break room.
"They have a small area dedicated to their volunteers, which includes a hook and a couple of chairs," said Seymour. "We'll revitalize it, renovate it, and make it warmer and more comfortable for them."
"Kassandra Gartner, the executive director, had mentioned how important volunteers were to the organization and how they essentially make the organization run. We thought it was important to give them a little love and spice up their break room."
There are tons of companies that are a part of United Way, including:
- City of Fort Saskatchewan
- Strathcona County
- Nutrien
- DOW
- NWR
- Sherritt
- Interpipeline
- Pembina
- Spartan Controls
- MeGlobal
- Scotford
- WRC
In previous years United Way has partnered with BGC Fort Saskatchewan, and A Safe Place, an emergency shelter for women and children.
"Having these organizations aware of what is happening in the community will be really great for our industry employees to just get more involved with the food bank."
You can learn more about the United Way Heartland Challenge by visiting their website.