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Crashing KD for a good cause

May 22, 2017 | 8:44 AM

Setting up boxes, just to knock them down. 

The Prince Albert Food Bank and Gateway Mall have once again partnered up for the second annual Great Mac & Cheese Knockdown.

Wes Clark, executive director of the food bank, said the knock down will happen the afternoon of the Downtown Street Fair inside the mall.

“It’s great. It is a nice little spectacle for the kids to watch and get to knock down the Kraft Dinner. It worked really well last year,” Clark said.

 In 2016, the event brought in over 3,700 boxes of Kraft Dinner for the food bank, which lasted until September. Clark said that many boxes allowed the food bank to keep flowing during the summer months.

“Summer is always a very, very difficult time for us, food-wise. In the fall when everyone’s back in the city, back from the lakes, it’s a different story, so [the knockdown] is a nice little thing to do before summer strikes. It is one less thing for us to buy,” Clark said.

Last year’s event saw groups around the city competing with each other to see how many boxes of Kraft Dinner they could raise for the food bank. He said he saw shelves around the city cleaned out of KD.

“If you wanted to get Kraft Dinner you were hard pressed to find it in the city, that’s how competitive it got. It’s great and fun,” Clark said.

Poverty doesn’t take a vacation, leading to many people left in the city during the summer months while people go to the lake. He said this can really impact kids as schools with food programs are out for the summer.

To help offset the school programs, Clark said the food bank has a number of initiatives, such as the After the Bell Program, to help families get through the summer.

The food bank also works with the city to provide the Summer Snack Program where parks around the city offer free supervision and snacks.

“Our primary focus is always on low-income, but what we like with [the summer snack program] is that it’s universal. Nobody needs to worry. If your kids are at the park you know they’re going to get fed during the summer,” he said. “It’s a little snack, and we’re even matching this up with organic produce.”

Usage at the food bank has been steady, which Clark said isn’t a bad thing because at least the food bank isn’t seeing a spike, especially since the organization is in a critical state trying to make sure there is enough food on the shelves.

Donations of Kraft Dinner can be dropped off at the Gateway Mall near the food court or at the food bank. The boxes will be set up between June 12 and 16 with the knockdown event on June 17.

 

swallace@panow.com

On Twitter: @sarahthesquid