The sixth annual Hometown for Hunger event took place at Denham Ford in Cranbrook on Monday, August 9, 2021 and there was a great turnout with over $10,000 raised for local food programs.
The Community Foundation of the Kootenay Rockies co-hosted the event and Executive Director Lynnette Wray thanked everyone involved, calling Hometown for Hunger a fun, charitable event that the community looks forward to.
There were food trucks and vendors, live music, the Cranbrook Bucks shoot to win, and the crowd favourite - a dunk tank. Anyone was allowed to make a donation to have a shot at dunking one of the dunk tank volunteers. Alternatively, with a donation you could nominate a surprise guest to be dunked.
Steve Zsillei of Deham Ford said that the event was a big success, with donations rolling in all afternoon.
“We’re happy to be able to host this event again, it’s just a really good community thing,” Zsillei said. “Everyone’s so excited to be able to get out and do things in the community again.”
Zsillei said that Freightliner of Cranbrook made a $500 donation and called out Gord Wilken, Senior Sales Consultant at Ford.
“Gord did it, he’s a good egg,” Zsillei laughed, adding that they put ice in the dunk tank. “A big thanks to Culligan for providing us with the ice, and the Cranbrook Fire Department for filling up the dunk tank.”
Many of the food trucks were giving away portions of their proceeds to the cause, while all other proceeds from the event will go to the East Kootenay Credit Union endowment fund, which supports local Salvation Army food programs.
Each year, the local Salvation Army provides approximately 24,000 school lunches and 13,000 community meals, and COVID-19 has significantly increased the need in the community.
