A presentation was given by Canadian Foodgrains Bank CEO Andy Harrington on Thursday night at an event at Living Stones Church. (Photo supplied by Doug Maas)

By Ian Gustafson

Ending hunger

Canadian Foodgrains Bank highlights work at event in Red Deer

Nov 15, 2024 | 2:18 PM

The Canadian Foodgrains Bank held an informational and celebratory event in Red Deer on Thursday evening.

Approximately 125 people attended the event at Living Stones Church, which included members of the public, Central Alberta Foodgrains Growing Project, and other growing projects in Alberta.

The evening started with dinner, followed by speeches and presentations, including one from Canadian Foodgrains Bank CEO, Andy Harrington.

Harrington’s speech consisted of what the bank has been involved in overseas and some of the different projects going on in Asia and Africa.

Doug Maas, committee member in the Central Alberta Foodgrains Growing Project, said the event was put on in conjunction with the Agri-Trade Equipment Expo happening at Westerner Park.

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“The purpose of the event was to share best practices about fundraising for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank,” Maas said.

Canadian Foodgrains Bank is a partnership of 15 Canadian churches and church-based agencies working together to end global hunger. They rely on donations from organizations and community members to make an impact.

Maas said the Bank was able to help those in need overseas with approximately $68 million last year. There were also projects in 35 different countries helped nearly one million people.

These projects include emergency food aid in countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Cambodia.

Some of the projects are also long-term solutions to hunger called conservation agriculture where they help people develop agriculture through training so they can maximize production.

Locally, in October 2024, the Central Alberta Foodgrains Growing Project, which operates out of Lacombe, announced they raised $70,918 for the Bank. They’re now entering their 30th year of growing.

Project members grow crop and then sell it to market and donate the proceeds to the Bank. Maas said they’re actively looking for land in Lacombe County.

This past year they had 120 acres of land just east of the QEII Highway, but explained that changes every year.

In addition, the Bank was recently recognized as a Top 10 Impact Charity by Charity Intelligence citing their work providing humanitarian assistance to countries delivering food in times of crises and long-term support for families.

This marked the seventh consecutive year they’ve been named a Top 10 Impact Charity.

“Since 2018 we’ve been on their yearly Top 10 list, so that tells us we’re keeping our administrative costs low and that we’ve been very effective with our projects overseas,” Maas added.

“The fact the Bank has been in the top 10 for seven straight years, that tells people they can feel pretty good about making a donation to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.”