Westworld Alberta

Winter 2014

Westworld Alberta

Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/402160

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Fill Our Fleet Gearing up to pack our trucks with holiday donations a MA is committed to Alberta communities, and our annual Fill Our Fleet, Fill Their Hearts program is just one of the ways we give back. On December 12, for the third year in a row, we'll be packing our at-deck tow trucks full of food and toys generously donated by members, the public and AMA employees. In the past, with the help of $75,000 donated by AMA from the proceeds of gift membership sales, we've lled about 60 pallets with food and toy donations. is year's goal is 70 pallets. You can bring non-perishable food and unwrapped toy donations to any AMA centre from November 17 to December 12. The donations will be distributed among Alberta families through partner charities across the province, in time for the holidays. " is program gives us a chance to work with our members to make the holidays more heartwarming for families across the province," says Jane Flower, vice- president of marketing and communications at AMA. feeding the calgary food Bank Fill Our Fleet bene ts more than a dozen charities across Alberta. One of these is the Calgary Food Bank. In 2013, the charity helped 129,948 families and indi- viduals, distributing 7,569,375 kg of food. Programs like Fill Our Fleet are essential for keep- ing the organization's shelves stocked, says Shawna Ogston of the Calgary Food Bank. "If we were to stop collecting today, the million pounds that we have in our warehouse would last us five weeks," she says. "Fill Our Fleet helps so much to keep us going through to January and February." e busy season at the food bank typically starts in September, and Ogston says that September 2014 saw a bigger increase in demand than usual. "Every little thing can be a tipping point for a lot of people in their budget when they are work- ing minimum wage, paycheque to paycheque." e food bank assists residents from neighbour- hoods across Calgary. While those who qualify are eligible to receive seven hampers every 12 months, an overwhelming majority – 82 per cent – have used the food bank three times or fewer in their lifetime. "We don't have a specific picture of an individual who's coming to the food bank because it could be anyone," Ogden explains. "It could be your neighbour, it could be your mother, it could be you. Anyone can experi- ence a crisis in their life." W 12 w e s t w o r l d A l b e r t A | w i n t e r 2 0 1 4 Most needed food Bank Donations Food banks are always looking for the following items: • Baby food in jars • Baby formula with iron • Canned goods • Fruit juice (one-litre containers) • Gluten-free items • Peanut butter • Spaghetti sauce (left to right) AMA school safety patrollers help load trucks with fill our fleet donations; a pile of toys waits to be packed up and delivered to smiling boys and girls; Santa rolls out in an AMA tow truck laden with donations. Drop off your food and toy donations at any AMA centre Nov. 17 to Dec. 12.

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