Harvest time is approaching and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFB) is encouraging farmers to donate to Africans experiencing famine and hunger.
“Many of us know what’s it’s like to lose a crop to drought,” said Stephen Vandervalk, president of Grain Growers of Canada. “But we’ve never faced the extreme challenges facing farmers in East Africa, with the total crop failures and no reserves. We want to encourage Canadian farmers to respond to the needs in that region by making a donation to the Foodgrains Bank.”
All kinds of grains oilseeds and pulses can be donated, and most grain companies are set up to accept them, according to John Longhurst, CFB spokesman.
“Most grain elevators and companies are registered to receive donations, and should have grain delivery tickets from the Foodgrains Bank on hand,” he said, adding farmers will receive a tax receipt for their donation.
To date, the Foodgrains Bank has committed $7.8 million of assistance for the region, providing food for more than 230,000 people in Kenya and Ethiopia.
Part of that grain has been donated by the Cheadle Lions Club, which has been raising grain on land near Strathmore since 2007 for this and local causes.
Over the years, the club has raised about $2 million and is gearing up for this fall’s harvest of 80 acres of corn, which will be silaged, and 200 acres of barley. The entire harvest is estimated to be worth between $400,000 and $500,000.
Matt Gosling, project chair, said this year, the club has also created an eight-acre corn maze, which will be open for the month of September on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. Gosling is encouraging local residents to attend the maze, at a cost of $5 per person.
Gosling said the corn crop will likely be harvested in late September and the money raised will stay local.
“We are going to make that a big day,” said Gosling, adding that the event will be family friendly and will feature a number of activities, such as horseshoes and sack races.
Proceeds from the barley will go to the CFB, and Gosling is expecting harvest day to be a community affair as in previous years, when as many as 500 volunteers came out to help.
Gosling said the Lions Club chose this particular cause because a number of its members are farmers.
“We are very fortunate and blessed to be living in the area that we do,” said Gosling. “We think it is a really good way to give back on a local and international scale. It is very fulfilling.”
Founded in 1983, the CFB is a partnership of 15 churches and church-based agencies working to end global hunger. Together with support from the Canadian International Development Agency, last year the Foodgrains Bank provided $38 million to assist 2.3 million people in 35 countries.
