Bringing in the sheaves . . . and the foodgrains bank was rejoicing

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This article was published 24/09/2015 (3877 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEAR KILLARNEY — The air was brisk but the smiles were bright as combines, trucks and grain carts pulled together to harvest 144 acres of canola two miles south of Killarney for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank Grow Project.

More than 100 people gathered near Ryan Sawatsky’s field to watch the 17 combines from the surrounding area put their own harvesting on hold for the afternoon, as the weather allowed threshing to continue after the wet Labour Day weekend.

Lloyd Jersak, Killarney resident and board member of the local Foodgrains Bank committee, reflected on how well this year’s project was embraced by the community.

“We were selling sponsorships of $250 per acre, and we have exceeded the 144 acres,” he said. “That will pay for all the input costs, like fertilizer, seed and rentals. Also numerous individuals, families and corporations have donated funds, some making substantial donations.”

Killarney has been involved with the grow project for four years, with this year’s harvest deemed a huge success.

Harold Penner, Manitoba coordinator for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, agrees.

“We’ve had fantastic support from this community. I think it’s awesome when communities work together to help end hunger,” Penner said. “We do a lot of our giving in private, we write out cheques and put them in the mail and we go to our computers and with a few mouse clicks, we make our donations online and it’s a very private thing.

“So, when people come together and actually do something together like this, it creates a momentum. And it creates an awareness of the need in the world that we don’t get in other ways.”

Penner has been involved in the Canadian Foodgrains Bank for many years, first as a farmer donating his own grain and participating in grain drives. He has been on staff for 12 years and has seen the program evolve throughout Manitoba from the beginning.

Presently there are approximately 250 grow projects across Canada with many being in Ontario. Manitoba boasts of between 35 to 40 projects, some communities having numerous fields with different groups of people working together throughout the growing season. This year 5,750 acres of Manitoba land was devoted to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank Grow Projects.

“The most awesome sight one sees in the Prairies in the fall,” Penner said, “is seeing communities like Killarney come together to help those in need. Not only working for ourselves, but working for the good of people who really need our help.

“It’s awesome to see over a hundred people here today all participating in this event, reminding ourselves that there are people in need out there and we can do something about it.”

The committee members of the Killarney Foodgrains Bank wish to thank all who contributed in the many ways and for the community’s support.