The Cochrane Activettes are looking for any and all realtors to help them win $10,000 in grocery gift cards.
The Activettes are competing in the Calgary Real Estate Board (CREB) Charitable Foundation’s Investing in Hope program, in which nominated charities compete for votes online from realtors for a chance to win a $10,000 grant.
Helen Parnell of the Cochrane Activettes, and a realtor, said the funding would come at a time when they’ve seen a marked decrease in donations.
“Since 2013, we have had a decline in the number of donations to the Cochrane Activettes to the food bank. We thought initially it was due to the flood, but it carried on into 2014.”
However, as donations have dried up, the demand has increased by 27 per cent over the last three years, she said. They anticipate a 15 per cent increase in families who request assistance this winter.
The grant would be toward purchasing gift cards, valued at $35 per person, from Save-On-Foods or No Frills for families to buy perishables. For a family of four, that’s $140 they can put towards meats and vegetables, Parnell said.
She related that the Cochrane Society for Housing Options has applied and won the grant in years past, but since the society isn’t running this year, the Activettes felt it was a good time to apply.
The Activettes average 12 to 14 hampers per week for families and individuals through the food bank. In its last fiscal year, they distributed over 600 hampers to a total of 1,752 people – 780 of whom were children. Over $60,000 in grocery gift cards were handed out as well.
The Cochrane Food Bank is owned and operated by the Activettes, a charity group of women whose objectives are to engage in charitable welfare and civic work in Cochrane and area.
Realtors can cast up to three votes at calgaryrealtorscare.org/investinginhope/. Voting ends Oct. 22 at noon. For more information on the competition, visit the website or call 403-218-3686.
