Frozen fries a big draw on sizzling hot day

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/07/2024 (833 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hundreds of Brandonites lined up in the Keystone Centre parking lot on Wednesday, braving the heat to get bags of frozen fries and hashbrowns as part of the annual Free Fry Day fundraiser.

At the beginning of the event, a freezer truck parked on-site had nine pallets of hashbrowns and nine pallets of fries, each weighing roughly 2,000 pounds, to be handed out by volunteers that included Brandon Wheat Kings mascot Willie.

By the time the Sun arrived around 1:30 p.m., supplies had gone down to four pallets of each. Out of fears that the spuds might be gone before the event ended at 5 p.m., a call had been made to bring more out.

Every year since 2020, McCain Foods and Heritage Co-op have teamed up to distribute thousands of pounds of potato products in exchange for donations toward Ronald McDonald House Charities Manitoba in Brandon and Portage la Prairie.

However, for the first time, the event was also held in Carman, Glenboro and Carberry, the latter of which is home to a McCain production plant.

Barry Cooper, Heritage Co-op’s business to business operations manager, told the Sun that when the event kicked off at 11 a.m., cars were backed up from the Keystone Centre’s lot onto 18th Street, then down to Richmond Avenue, where the line extended past 13th Street.

“This is the biggest crowd we’ve ever seen, and it’s stayed steady all day,” Cooper said, adding that around 20 volunteers from Heritage Co-op were helping out in Brandon, with another three in Carberry.

“I think it’s a combination of things. I think people view this as a value, getting this product for a small donation. I think that people want to be a part of donating to Ronald McDonald House — they see it as a charity that’s helping our community.”

He said Heritage Co-op loves working with the McCain’s representatives on the event. He also thanked Brandon Police Service for its help in managing the traffic on a hot day that reached a Humidex rating of 34 C.

McCain had another 20 or more people on site in Brandon, said Sara Fehr, an HR business partner at the company’s Carberry location.

She said it had been a successful start to the event, though she didn’t know whether it was the hot weather, better publicity or just people’s generosity driving the increasing traffic.

“Fingers crossed we have enough to last us into the afternoon,” she said. “It’s funny, because they ran out last year and we brought extra just in case.”

Her company and Ronald McDonald House have been partnered for 30 years, she said. Originally, they held a golf tournament for the charity, but that had to be cancelled during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the creation of the new fundraiser.

The charity operates a facility near Winnipeg’s Health Sciences Centre that provides a place for out-of-town families to stay and eat when their children are receiving medical care in the provincial capital.

“It’s something that has impacted employees of ours, families, neighbours, the communities that we operate in,” Fehr said. “That’s why it’s so near and dear to our heart.”

Ronald McDonald House CEO Wendy Galagan told the Sun by phone that their statistics show that Westman is the largest region they serve families from.

“It is important for us to be out in the community to share and connect with our alumni families, but also just an awareness piece to let families know that if they are ever faced with childhood illness or injury, that RMHC Manitoba is here to support them,” said Galagan, who was touring some of the communities hosting the fundraiser Wednesday.

“It’s also an incredible opportunity to follow the generous lead of McCain and Co-op to stand with us in service and care to families.”

She said no specific fundraising target had been set and that they were grateful for any and all support they receive.

In previous years, funds raised had gone toward a new 40-room facility that the charity opened in September 2022. This year, Galagan said, funds are going toward general operations.

Other ways to support Ronald McDonald House include participating in its annual gala, golf tournament and other signature events, as well as donations through workplaces and through its website at rmhcmanitoba.org.

Donation totals from Free Fry Day will likely be counted within a couple of weeks.

» cslark@brandonsun.com

» X: @ColinSlark