Burnaby Mounties collected enough donations to cram several cruisers full of food for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank last week.
Burnaby RCMP held its annual Cram the Cruiser food drive at two locations this year.
On Thursday at the Safeway in the Heights, officers collected 1,225 pounds of food.
On Friday at the Metrotown Real Canadian Superstore, they collected 1,777 pounds.
“There’s a lot of food here,” said food bank community events coordinator Carly Lum at the Metrotown event. “It means that we can feed our massive clientele that we are serving. We see hundreds of new people sign up every single week to use the food bank, and we’ve been able to do incredible things, such as purchase a lot of fresh foods.”
Mayor Mike Hurley dropped by both locations to lend moral support and stuff money into the donation jar.
In total, this year's Cram the Cruiser event raised $4,113.96 in cash.
“This is a fabulous initiative carried out by RCMP,” Hurley said. “The food bank’s always a great donation, so I’m very, very glad to be part of this.”
The food bank provides food to approximately 9,000 people in Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster and the North Shore every month, according to its website.
It also provides food support to 112 community agency partners, including women’s and children’s shelters and school food programs.
Items in high demand right now are low sodium canned salmon, canned beans, canned fruits and vegetables, canned chili and baby products, including formula, baby food and diapers.
Other items always needed at the food bank include natural peanut butter, whole wheat pasta, couscous, brown rice, barley, oats, canned chicken and canned turkey.
Cash donations are also always welcome.
For more information, visit the food bank website.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
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