The operators of the local food bank can breath a sigh of relief after receiving a large donation.

Roy Bladen, the Ministry Director of the Salvation Army, spoke to Arctic Radio News and said that despite a fairly successful Christmas Kettle Campaign, they were still around $15,000 short of the $50,000 they needed to operate the food bank for the year.

Recently, Bladen put out a call to the public for donations, as they were running low on food. After the monthly food hampers were distributed that money, their stores were at an all-time low.

Bladen went to the local Safeway store last week to follow-up on two fundraising efforts the company had conducted in 2017. During both the "Celebrate Local Campaign" and "Give the Gift of Food", Sobeys (the parent company of Safeway) invited customers to make a donation to their local food bank in exchange for AIR MILES.

He said that the store manager called him yesterday and asked him to come to the store, where they presented him with $14,839 in gift cards to the grocery store. Bladen said that he was blown away by the donation and everyone who shopped at the store and made it possible.

The Salvation Army food bank here in Thompson supports 52 local families, including over 200 children.