Whitecourt and Woodlands staff battle it out, food bank comes out the winner

On Thursday, May 18, under a bright sunny sky, Town of Whitecourt staff joined Woodlands County staff for a lunchtime barbecue at the Forest Interpretive Centre. The two groups were together to celebrate a job well done after going head to head for bragging rights to see who could raise the most amount of donations for the Whitecourt Food Bank.

The face-off had previously happened in the winter but at the request of Whitecourt Food Bank Co-ordinator Lori Vodden, it was switched. “I asked them to do it in the summer because I get my bulk of donations at Christmas and I have to stretch it out over the year. I needed that boost.”

Some things people might not think about donating are the items that people likely can’t afford when they are unable to buy groceries. “If people can’t afford food then they can’t buy diapers. Diapers are expensive. As well as toiletries, we need all those extra things, and those are things that I don’t have money to purchase. I purchase the basic necessities and then hope that diapers and everything else are donated,” explained Lori.

Whitecourt Deputy Mayor Bill McAree and councillor Darlene Chartrand manned the barbecue alongside Woodlands Mayor Jim Rennie and Woodlands Economic Development Officer Dana Severson. Following lunch, the group effort continued as both sides worked together to load the donations into a trailer.

“It’s so great that people will come out and take from their kitchens, give some money, and make sure there are diapers for these people,” said McAree adding, “the great thing is everybody working together to help our community.”

Several different events take place each year that pit the sides against each other just for the fun of it. “Our councils have a continuous rivalry; the two mayors have a rivalry and the staff do, too. We always see if we can outdo each other a little bit. I think competition leads to people knowing each other and working better as partners and that’s something that I admire about our relationship,” said Rennie.

Officially, Woodlands takes the win, bringing in 4,892 donations to Whitecourt’s 3,876. “We will be bragging about this throughout the year until we do it again and that will be our incentive to do an even better job,” said Mayor Rennie adding with a laugh, “Town of Whitecourt, eat our dust!  Ha-ha, just kidding! Nice job both teams.” What did Deputy Mayor McAree have to say in response? “There’s no losers today except Whitecourt was a little bit shyer than Woodlands. I think they fixed it (laughing) but we’ll get them next year.”

The food bank needs the communities’ help all year so when you go to donate, try to think beyond food staples. Items that are in need include diapers, toiletries such as toilet paper, dental products, feminine hygiene products, and so on. Another idea are small gifts for children as the staff likes to be able to give something to children who come by on or near their birthdays.

“The majority of my clients are working people; they’re just struggling.  People fall on hard times and we are very lucky because Whitecourt is generous,” said Lori. Between 150 and 200 people are assisted at the Whitecourt Food Bank per month. Donations can be dropped off at the front desk at the Carlan Centre.