L-R: Mitch Thomson, Red Deer Food Bank executive director, Dale Devereaux, Century 21 and Feed a Family organizer, and Mike Platte, Sobey's South owner. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

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For 25 years now, Dale Devereaux of Century 21 been funding holiday dinner hampers, filled with all the necessities.

Devereaux was at Sobey’s South Red Deer on Tuesday to do a handover of this year’s food to the Red Deer Food Bank. Between Devereaux’s own contributions, those of friends, family and colleagues, and the buying power of Sobey’s, about 255 hampers will be available through his ‘Feed a Family’ campaign alone.

“The first year, I thought I’d just do it once, then we thought, okay five years would be good, then it became 10 and here we are,” Devereaux laughs.

“We’ve had, over the years, quite a few recipients come back and donate $30 or $60 back to the campaign which is cool,” he says, with $30 being the approximate value of each hamper.

“When you see people do that, it’s special. Some people have not had a turkey in 10 years maybe, and we have to remember that when we go out to get dinner items and it’s normal; well it’s not normal for all people.”

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He says the impetus to make sure people are taken care of this year is higher, especially with inflation.

And if you’re wondering about the impact of that dreaded ‘I’ word, just ask Mitch Thomson, food bank executive director, to spell it out.

“For the food bank right now, it’s incredibly busy. This year over last, we’re 60 per cent busier. So last year, by end of October, we’d served 13,000 emergency hampers; we were well over 21,000 this year by Halloween, and we’ll hit 26,000 by year’s end,” says Thomson.

“Earlier this year, the need was outstripping what we had, so we had to ask Calgary Food Bank if they had some extra they could send, and they did.”

L-R: Mitch Thomson, Red Deer Food Bank executive director, Mike Platte, Sobey’s South owner, and Dale Devereaux, Century 21 and Feed a Family organizer. (rdnewsNOW/Josh Hall)

Thomson says if you can give, please do.

“Usually at this time of year, we’re building up for next year, but right now, we’re just keeping up with the demand that exists, and we’re not getting further ahead,” he says. “We encourage anyone who has the ability to help a friend or neighbour by donating a can of soup or box of cereal, and keep in mind that monetary donations allows us to make strategic purchases.”

A couple years ago, for example, the food bank was able to get boxes of cereal for 40 cents each.

Thomson estimates Devereaux’s campaign has fed more than 28,500 people over its first 24 years, and you can add another 1,000 to that in 2022.

In total this December, the food bank will give out 900 Christmas hampers, and that includes to families in many communities surrounding Red Deer.

“Whenever people that are more fortunate than others have the chance, and I’ve been very blessed to have a great career and have those chances, you should always try to help someone,” says Devereaux. “That’s what our world should be.”