An aerial view of the Red Deer River on a preview flight for Operation Food Lift. (rdnewsNOW/Ashley Lavallee-Koenig)

By Ashley Lavallee-Koenig

SEPT. 29, 10AM-3PM

Operation Food Lift exchanges flights for funds to the Red Deer Food Bank

Sep 23, 2024 | 4:21 PM

Operation Food Lift, a unique community event and essential fundraiser for the Red Deer Food Bank, has been taking to the skies for more than 25 years and returns this Sunday, September 29.

Held at the Red Deer Regional Airport in partnership with Skywings Aviation Academy, for $25 per passenger, residents will get a chance to soar around Red Deer in a four-seater plane.

Skywings is donating eight planes and the fuel needed for the operation, and their pilots volunteer their time; All proceeds from the event go to the Red Deer Food Bank and on average, Executive Director Mitch Thomson says it raises about $10,000 for the organization at a time when it needs the boost.

“Skywings really gets us out there at a time of year when it’s usually pretty tight. As we come out of summer and kids are going back to school, it’s a lot of pressure on families and we find demand does increase going into the fall,” he said. “A lot of that seasonal giving that comes late in the year — Christmas the year before — has been used, so it’s incredibly important to receive donations at this time of year.”

With the flights running from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., there will also be kids’ games, food trucks, and a silent auction with items like more flight opportunities and special event tickets to pass the time while attendees wait for their turn to takeoff.

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Thomson said that lineups have moved quickly in the past despite healthy turnouts of 400-600 people on the clear weather days. Flights will take attendees in the air for about 20 minutes, and it’s first-come-first-served.

Flying over the Red Deer Golf and Country Club. (rdnewsNOW/Ashley Lavallee-Koenig)

Recently, the Food Bank shared images of empty shelves to its social media and alerted the public to its crisis-state. Since then, community generosity and fundraising events have helped the situation.

“We’re getting healthier and better, but it’s just a sign of the times how much need is out there,” Thomson said.

Read more: ‘As bad as it gets’: Red Deer Food Bank shares images of barren shelves

Dennis Cooper, founder and CEO of Skywings, and Sherry Cooper, chief flight instructor, have been supporting the Red Deer Food Bank through Operation Food Lift for more than 25 years.

“A part of the corporate community is to give back to the community,” said Dennis, “being able to raise $10,000 in a day for them and give them that cash is important, and it’s one more drop in the bucket they need to make it through the year.”

Skywings was founded by Dennis Cooper in 1982 and the academy is responsible for 80 per cent of landings and takeoffs at the airport, he said. The school typically instructs about 100 students at a time, and Sherry said she looks forward to sharing what those pilots and future pilots experience with the public, while they support a good cause.

“It’s been one of our genuine hopes that people really get an impact from some of the things we can do for our community,” she said. “I hope that everyone comes out to not only do a good thing for the Food Bank, but to see what we see every single day — beautiful Alberta skies, the fall colours — and have an opportunity to see what aviation’s about as well.”

The control panel in the four-seater plane. (rdnewsNOW/Ashley Lavallee-Koenig)

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