It’s not unusual to see Canadian athletes grace the covers of cereal boxes, but what about Food Bank staff?

With the 2020 Tokyo Olympics no longer going ahead this year due to COVID-19, General Mills has instead decided to feature Canada’s frontline Food Bank heroes as part of its Olympic Cheerios boxes, including Airdrie’s Lori McRitchie.

“We are pivoting our original plan from helping Canadians to cheer on our Olympic athletes, to those same Olympic athletes cheering on Canadians who are pushing themselves to help their communities in this time of tremendous need,” said Fawad Farrukh, Business Unit Director of Cereal at General Mills Canada

“These are the real heroes, and we’re proud to be able to help them out.”

According to Food Banks Canada, one in eight Canadians rely on food bank support but that number is increasing due to the COVID-19 crisis. During the 2008 financial crisis, food bank usage rose by 28 per cent – Food Banks Canada fears we could see an increase as large as 50 per cent over the course of the pandemic.

In Airdrie, the Food Bank saw a 50 per cent increase in the number of food hampers it gave out in the first quarter of 2020, that’s between January and the end of March.

“Some of that was COVID related but we were up in our usage even before COVID,” McRitchie explained. “I think the economy, the on-going issues we were having with our oil and gas industry and now this, have hit our community fairly hard.”

While some of the need died down in the last couple weeks for April, McRitchie said numbers have jumped up once again in May and are as high as they’ve ever been.

While McRitchie doesn’t really see herself as a hero, she said the team of people who help ensure families in need can put food on the table, definitely deserve some recognition.

“This whole honour goes to everyone who works at the Food Bank and the community because without our community and the team of volunteers and staff, we wouldn’t be able to do the work we do.”

Food Banks Canada will also receive a $500,000 cash donation from Cheerios and $600,000 worth of food product from parent company General Mills to be distributed to Food Banks all across Canada. McRitchie says to her, that’s the biggest win.

“Across the country, there are so many heroes that are dedicated to the work they do in Food Banks, just that this is going to lift them up is a gift to everyone,” she said. “I am so thankful that we were chosen and can raise up the work that’s being done in communities big and small from coast to coast to coast.”

Participating athletes are Andre De Grasse (Athletics), Penny Oleksiak (Swimming), Rosie MacLennan (Gymnastics), Matt Berger (Skateboarding) and Jennifer Abel (Diving).

These athletes will appear on Cheerios boxes in stores as they were already in production, but in the social media videos, each will reveal a new Cheer For The Food Banks Frontline box featuring the photo and personal story of a community food banker. These boxes are limited edition and will not be available in stores.

The Airdrie Food Bank has been partnered with swimming sensation Penny Oleksiak. Oleksiak was Canada's breakthrough star at the Olympics in Rio, where she swam her way to the podium four times, netting gold in the 100-metre freestyle. It was the largest single Summer Games medal haul for an athlete in Canadian history.

 

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