Members of the Sidney Volunteer Fire Department raised almost $8,700 for the Saanich Peninsula Lions Food Bank.
Kirk Tamburino and Rick Toogood of the Sidney Volunteer Firefighters Association presented a cheque of $8,688 along with some collected non-perishable items to the Saanich Peninsula Lions Food Bank in a socially-distanced, firefighter-themed ceremony with Toogood handing over a gift bag with the cheque to executive director Beverley Elder at the end of a fire hook.
Toogood said the membership raised the money to help offset changes to annual Peninsula Firefighters Christmas Food Drive. One of the most important fundraisers for the food bank would have happened on Saturday, Dec. 12. But organizers with the department nonetheless challenged members to raise $5,000, a figure they cleared and then some with some help from friends and family.
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Toogood said the challenge was framed around what he called ‘the power of three’ in reference to the ability that one donated dollar turns into three dollars worth of food. The phrase also represents the combination of firefighters plus families plus friends, he added.
The donation marks the second large cash donation recently received by the food bank after the District of North Saanich donated $50,000 to the food bank, with the money coming from its COVID-19 relief grant.
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wolfgang.depner@peninsulanewsreview.com
