Targa Newfoundland teams up with N.L. food bank to fill up shelves

Every September, cars competing in Targa Newfoundland a rallyspanning the entire island flythrough community streets.

This year, though,drivers will also be racing to stock up food bank shelves and feed those in need, says Targa's organizer.

Participants are expected to drive 2,000 kilometres in one week, beginning Sept. 12.They'll also be taking donations to help the Community Food Sharing Association, which supplies60 food banksacross Newfoundland and Labrador.

"Targa is all about helping poor communities that's the lifestyle of Newfoundland. That's what makes Newfoundland different from anywhere else," Targa Newfoundland founder Robert Giannou told CBC News.

Communities support the race by letting cars on their roads, often in rural areas. It's those communities that could use the most help,Giannou said.

"That's where our economy is the roughest," he said.

Giannou said 100 per cent of what Targa Newfoundland collects, including monetary donations, will be going to the food bank.

"We decided that every stop we make this year, we'll be collecting donations for them and we're going to carry it on," Giannou said.

Giannou said Targa will be taking donations in other ways, too, includingthrough admission to scheduled car shows in Gander, Clarenville and St. John's.

Great need

Giannou said he recently visited the food bank's warehouse and was shocked by what he saw.

"There is nothing there. It's empty. I'm not kidding," he said.

Community Food Sharing Association general manager Tina Bishop said Targa Newfoundland stepping up to help collect donations means a lot, especially at a time of year when donations are low.

"There's so many families in need right now and those families, unfortunately, have to turn to food banks to make ends meet," she said.

Bishop said from the spring into the fall there aren't many donations coming in, and they've run out of the supply they received over the holidays. As a result, they have to buy more food to stock the shelves.

"The demand is beyond anything we've ever seen before. And the food is just in our doors and out again because the demand is so high," she said.

According to recent data, it costs about $333 per week to buy healthy foodfor a family of four in Newfoundland and Labrador. Bishop said many don't have thatmoney and turn to food banks instead.

The number of people using food banks has been steadily increasing, she said, and they're also seeing more working-class families having to use food banks for the first time, as well as younger people.

"Everything is just so expensive that families just are not able to stretch their dollars anymore," she said.

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Click here to visit our landing page.