After many months of preparation, well over a thousand hours of volunteer time, and support from a generous community, the 2019 Kiwanis Canby Community Food & Toy Drive was able to provide holiday assistance to 360 local families, including gifts for more than 920 children.
The Drive serves residents who live within the boundaries of the Canby School District and who are not receiving assistance from another holiday program. They provide food baskets for family individuals and adults without children, as well as toys for children 0-18 years old.
On their website, Canby Kiwanis thanked the Clackamas County Event Center and staff, which hosts the giveaway each year, and the Canby Rotary Club, Direct Link, Action Acres, Shimadzu, PumpTech and Cutsforth’s Market for their generous financial donations.
There were also shout outs to Canby schools, and the Canby High Leadership class in particular, for organizing food drives and delivering donations to the staging area. Local Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts held drives as well, and some 50 or 60 local businesses served as drop-off locations for food and toys.
The tidal wave of generous donations took a flood of volunteers to receive, sort, and help ensure they wound up in the right hands. It was quite a sight, according to Canby Kiwanis
“It was heartwarming to see families, friends, and organizations — youth and senior citizens alike — all pitching in to sort food and toys, fill the boxes and gift bags, and assist in any way we needed them,” they said on their website. “Our entire community pulled together to help its members in need. We are so proud of our community and what we are able to accomplish when we work together. Thank you for your support!”
Check out last month’s episode featuring two Kiwanians discussing this amazing local outreach here:
Photos courtesy Canby Kiwanis. Used with permission.
