Community gives Lunchbox Program a boost

By Rechell McDonald
The Community Lunchbox Program has been playing an active role in the lives of kids in Whitecourt for the last decade making sure kids have full stomachs to get them through the school day. Recently, the program received a huge boost from several community businesses to help it realize the dream of attaining independent funding.
It was decided that a bottle drop would be a great way to raise money, but were overwhelmed by all the assistance received to get the idea off the ground.
“A special thank you goes out to Eagle River Chrysler for the donation and use of the new CLB truck. We will be using it to drive around to pick up bottles to create revenue for our program and jobs for our friends with disabilities. The gas is sponsored by Venom Energy and we appreciated the partnership,” explains Tara Baker, Community Lunchbox organizer.
“This new adventure has been possible because of Shauna Bakos and Whitecourt Paws. They donated the sorting space and all renovation costs. Dane Baker and Kyle Labossiere, along with a few others, volunteered all the labour to make our space shine. Thank you to Overhead Door service for being kind and installing our garage door as a donation keeping us warmer this winter, and to Tannis and Paul Grundberg for the rock out front. Home Hardware has donated a beautiful shed that will be delivered soon so we are able to keep our space organized for maximum success.”
The Lunchbox Program has become a shining example of the amazing work that the community can do when it comes together. Tara and the Lunchbox Program are still looking for businesses that are willing to set up a bottle drop bin on behalf of the program, and display the program sign to make locations easy for residents to find.
If you are interested in setting up a bin at your business, contact Tara at 780-778-8252 or tara@communitylunchbox.ca.