Ancaster Community Food Drive

29th ANNUAL
ANCASTER COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVE VIRTUAL CAMPAIGN

COVID19 has forced restrictions on Social Gatherings and Public Health Guidelines. It has also placed tremendous increased demands on the Emergency Food Bank and Community Service Agencies. As a result, the Ancaster Community Food Drive for this year of 2021 will move to a virtual and online format. Our Campaign, as in past years, will focus on promotion through various media platforms culminating during the week of Sunday, February 28 through to Saturday March 6, 2021.

2021 Goal : $60,000

$40,000 Raised as of Februrary 28, 2021

Choose one or more of the 8 agencies below to contribute to

Click on the logos below to be redirected to our supported agencies SECURE donation websites now. Together we can ensure our local critical emergency food services to can continue to support our neighbors in need during a worldwide health emergency.

ANCASTER COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVE 2021

29th Annual Ancaster Community Food Drive is going virtual in 2021! [February 22nd Update]

The beloved annual Ancaster Community Food Drive is going virtual this year! The Ancaster Food Drive comes at a time of year when food banks are most in need of donations to stock their shelves. Every dollar you give will ensure our neighbours receive the food they need to feed themselves and their families. The residents of Ancaster are asking the broader community to support the long-standing community tradition of generously helping people in need in every neighbourhood across the city.

FEBRUARY 28TH TO MARCH 6TH

“We know pivoting to a fund drive this year is new. To inspire those in the community to give differently this year, we are thrilled to announce that the Fengate Community Foundation Fund will “kick off” the community drive with a generous donation of $31,200 ($3,900 to each of the 8 supported organizations) Fengate is long time supporter in the fight against hunger and we welcome their amazing support,” states Jim LoPresti co-chairman of the Ancaster Food Drive Organizing Committee.

“At Fengate, we believe in supporting the communities where we do business. The Ancaster Food Drive is helping people who are experiencing some of the greatest needs in recent history. Our company and our team are both proud and humbled to be able to extend support through our fund at Hamilton Community Foundation, and hope that the food drive will serve to inspire others to consider how they can contribute – in any way at this critical time,” says Lou Serafini Jr., President and CEO, Fengate Asset Management.

All funds raised will be distributed to the following supported agencies for food purchases; Ancaster Community Services, Hamilton Food Share, Good Shepherd Centres, Neighbour to Neighbour, The Salvation Army, Wesley Urban Ministries, Mission Services of Hamilton and St. Matthew’s House. Financial support may be directed to any participating organization.

Hamilton Food Share supplies approximately 4 million pounds of food each year to 13 food banks and 7 hot meal programs who report over 22,000 visits per month.

The Fengate Community Foundation Fund brings life to the high value Fengate places on good corporate citizenship through philanthropy, ensuring donations and support reach causes and programs with the most need.

Sincerely,
ACFD Committee

ANCASTER COMMUNITY FOOD DRIVE 2021

We’re going virtual! [February 14th Update]

Together as one community, we continue to respond to the challenges and restrictions to our normal and instinctive patterns of behavior in defending ourselves against the COVID19 pandemic. Notwithstanding our basic instincts , yearning and desires to come together as we have done for the past 28 years, the Organizing Committee has made the difficult decision that our 29th Ancaster Community Food Drive , scheduled for Saturday March 6, 2021 will not take place this year. For almost three decades, thousands of people from the community of Ancaster, including our schools, businesses, Service Clubs and faith communities have come together in mid winter to replenish the depleted shelves of the food bank agencies serving our city of Hamilton. Looking back to March of 2020, the remarkable generosity of our community in food collected and financial donations for bulk purchases through Hamilton FoodShare, resulted in an impressive 102,000 lbs. of food for the food bank and community service agencies of Hamilton. Since the beginning of the Ancaster Community Food Drive, an accumulated total of 1,856,500 lbs. has been collected and donated to families in need throughout our city.

Although the current circumstances and requirements for continued social distancing and safety precautions due to the pandemic will prevent us from gathering in March 2021, the demands on our food bank and community service agencies has never been greater. We know the importance of the ACFD on providing a significant infusion of food during this mid winter period when the shelves of many agencies are almost empty. We remain confident that our continued sacrifices today, will get us to a better place and the hope that our 30th anniversary food drive in March of 2022, will be an awesome celebration of community.

In order to respond as a community to this unprecedented challenge in 2021, we invite your support for the 29th Ancaster Community Virtual Food Drive campaign culminating on Saturday March 6, 2021. We will not be knocking on your door this year, but we do hope you will be moved to making a financial donation directly to the agencies supported by the ACFD.

Although we will not be able to celebrate together this year, sharing the same physical space at the Ancaster Fairgrounds, let us share the warmth in our hearts that comes from service to others who need our help. Let us show this city the wonderful power and promise of having many individuals responding to the call to make a financial donation and to be able to do it from the convenience of the own computer, tablet or cell phone. Let us show our friends at these important agencies just how much Ancaster cares!

Sincerely,
ACFD Committee