Nearly 800 walkers raise $300,000 for Calgary Food Bank on Thanksgiving Monday

Nearly 800 people gathered at Eau Claire on Thanksgiving October 14, for TheWalk.ca 5K, raising over $300,000 for the Calgary Food Bank.

The event, now in its third year, brings the total raised to more than $1.1 million. Co-founders Paul Lavoie and Doug started with an ambitious idea: after Doug wanted to run 50 marathons for his 50th birthday to support the food bank four years ago, they thought bigger. The following year, after Doug turned 51, the walk was born.

"Having almost 800 people show up today shows that people will make time, are thankful, want to give and want to become part of our community in a way that they can," Lavoie said. All proceeds go directly to the food bank, and the event wrapped with a "Power Hour" outdoor dance party.

For every dollar raised, the Calgary Food Bank can distribute just over $3 worth of food. That means the $1.1 million raised over three years translates to close to $3.5 million worth of food reaching families. The food bank, operating for 44 years, serves nearly 1,000 families per day.

Melissa From, president and CEO of the Calgary Food Bank, credited Doug's initial vision. "That was four years ago. They did that and exceeded the raising target quite a bit. Then the following year, after turning 51, he just couldn't let things lie. Thus the walk was born and here we are, three years later."

Participants including Cameron Martin and Glyndwr Merriman came dressed in costumes provided by the food bank. "We've been involved with the food bank a lot, so we love whenever we get the chance to be involved and just make a difference in the community," Merriman said.