Christmas food drive in Sudbury has best results in its decades-long history

Dan Xilon, executive director of the Sudbury Food Bank, marks the success of the Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive with United Steelworkers representatives Tom White, Owen Marcotte, Todd McLeod and Jeffrey LaLonde, and Vale representatives Claire Parkinson and Gord Gilpin. (Supplied)

Officials with the Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive said Tuesday they had their best year yet in nearly 35 years of collecting donations for the Sudbury Food Bank.

Between November and December, the food drive raised more than $210,000 and collected about 113 tons of food.

“The community as a whole has been incredibly generous through these challenging times,” Dan Xilon, executive director of the Sudbury Food Bank, said in a news release.

“The number of clients we serve continues to grow so this incredible show of support from local businesses, residents and school children is gratefully accepted. It will go a long way in supporting our growing number of clients.”

The Sudbury Food Bank provides food to about 10,000 people every month through more than 40 member agencies and outreach programs. Of those clients, more than half are children. Through the pandemic, the Sudbury Food Bank has also seen an increase in first-time users older than age 65.

Edgar Burton, a Vale divisional shops employee for 36 years, started the annual Christmas food drive in his workplace. The campaign grew to include businesses and schools across Sudbury and is now one of the largest per capita food drives in Canada.

“We are proud that our members continue the legacy that Edgar began so many years ago,” said Nick Larochelle, president of USW Local 6500. “Our members look forward to supporting our community in this way every year.”

Vale donates the time of one full-time and one part-time Local 6500 employee for about two months to organize the drive.

“Seeing the continued generosity in our community during particularly challenging times truly speaks to the resilience of our community and the genuine support we give to one another,” Gord Gilpin, head of Vale’s Ontario operations, said in the release.

“It’s a community tradition that we are proud to support.”