The St. John’s Farmer’s Market found itself packed on a Tuesday night as locals came out to support “How to Fill a Food Bank”, a local fundraiser aimed at helping Newfoundland’s Community Food Sharing Association (CFSA) recover from a fire that destroyed all their food two weeks prior.
The tragedy happened early on January 30th, and destroyed hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth in food. The organization served as a hub for donations, which it typically distributed to 54 different food banks as far as Goose Bay- which meant the effects would be felt throughout the province.
However, the community has come together spectacularly during this time of need, and at this time a huge amount of funds have already been raised in support of the organization, in addition to the food gained from food drives being held all over the city.
Admission for the local fundraiser was by money or food donation, and tickets could be purchased for $5 each, which in turn could be redeemed for food, drinks and dessert. The event was held from 5pm to 11pm, and included local food prepared by local chefs, live music, a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle.
The Farmer’s Market was packed with vendors of both familiar faces and new ones, ranging from staples at the Farmer’s Market like Fatima’s, the Jewish Deli and Oh my Cheeses, to new faces such as Wedgwood and Raymond’s.
When asked about how the event came to be, Jonathan Richler, owner of the Jewish Deli and organizer of the event, had this to say:
I work in the food community, I would like to say, as opposed to the industry, and everyone works together as a family. So I called my family. And nobody said no.
Nearly all the money from the event will be going to the CFSA, and each vendor came to donate their time and food costs to help out, taking none of the profits from it. Jonathan added, “I know that [the CFSA] already raised a few hundred thousand dollars, but even then we have to remember that everybody eats three times a day, so money only goes so far.”