Holiday Train brings joy, hunger relief to Westman

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This article was published 14/12/2023 (1062 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NEEPAWA — People in three Westman communities had the chance to take in an iconic holiday sight this month as the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Holiday Train rolled its way through the area.

The train made a stop in Neepawa, located 76 kilometres northeast of Brandon, from 2:35 to 3:15 p.m. on Dec. 4. That same day, it was in Minnedosa from 4 to 4:45 p.m. and stopped in Shoal Lake from 7:15 to 8 p.m.

The Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) Holiday Train kicked off its season on Nov. 20 in Montreal and will wrap up its travels on Dec. 19, marking the 25th year it has supported food banks across the United States and Canada by raising money, food and awareness for hunger.

At each stop along the way, the Holiday Train makes donations to local food banks and $3,500 was donated to the Neepawa Salvation Army Food Bank.

“It was a fantastic day for us,” said Amanda Naughton-Gale, the Salvation Army in Neepawa’s Community Ministries Director. The community donated 270 pounds of food and $849 to top up the CPKC donation.

The Minnedosa & Area Food Bank received $5,500 from the Holiday Train program, and people who attended the event donated $993.70 and 275.7 kilograms of food.

The generosity from CPKC and the local community was overwhelming and amazing, said Carol Brown, the chairperson of the Minnedosa & Area Food Bank.

“In the current economy, we weren’t expecting such generosity, and it’s just unbelievable. We were really pleased with everyone that came out. It was such a beautiful evening,” Brown said.

The Minnedosa U15 Bomber hockey team came to the food bank to help unload everything after the event, stock the shelves and check best-before dates, which was a big help, Brown said.

“What might have taken us hours all week this week, we did in less than an hour and a half. Everything was done and put away.”

The Shoal Lake & Area Foodbank received $4,000 from the CPKC Holiday Train program, and the community raised around 1,500 to 1,600 pounds of food the day the train passed through the area.

The monetary donation from CPKC will cover nearly two months of the food bank’s regular hamper program, said Joel Usick, pastor of the Shoal Lake Baptist Church and member of the executive of the Healthy Communities Committee, which runs the local food bank.

“It’s a significant amount of money to these rural food banks, and what’s particularly exciting about corporate donations like this is that it’s also money coming from outside of the financial base of our municipality,” Usick said. “We’re just happy to be blessed by them.”

The entire community of Shoal Lake has been very supportive over the work the food bank does for the people who make use of it, he added. Local businesses have also been quick to step up with donations of time and money when the need has arisen.

“Here in Shoal Lake and in the municipality, there’s just such positive association with the work of the food bank,” Usick said. “It’s a big blessing for how healthy the culture is around our work here at the food bank.”

According to Food Matters Manitoba, an organization that works to address hunger across the province, over 14 per cent of Manitobans, 60 per cent of northern residents living on-reserve and over one in five children across the province face hunger issues, including not having enough money to buy adequate food.

As the Sun previously reported, this year there has been a large increase in visits to food banks due to the rising cost of food. This has led to a strain on local food banks, according to operators and organizers. It’s also a similar story across Westman and the nation, with Food Banks Canada stating that organizations across the country are experiencing overwhelming demand with almost two million visits in one month.

In 2021, at least 15.9 per cent of households — which translates to 5.8 million Canadians — were also facing hunger issues, including inadequate access to food, the Canadian Public Health Association’s website says. However, the organization says that number is likely much higher for the territories, especially in Nunavut, where 57 per cent of people struggle with having inadequate access to food.

In the time since the CPKC Holiday Train program first began in 1999, over $22.5 million and over five million pounds of food has been raised for food banks across Canada and the United States.

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