It’s the busiest time of year at the one-million-square-foot Amazon warehouse in Nisku, Alta., but a visit from Edmonton Oilers left-winger Ryan Nugent-Hopkins brings the entire building to a standstill.
Star-struck warehouse workers watched as the hockey player picked and packed orders, signed autographs and helped hand over a $5,000 cheque to both Food Banks Alberta, a provincial association, and the Leduc and District Food Bank.
“The food bank obviously puts in so much work, does so much good for the community,” said Nugent-Hopkins. “We’re lucky to have them. “
For decades, members of the Oilers often assist for a good cause but Amazon’s relationship with the local food bank goes back a couple of years to when they opened the YEG1 fulfilment centre not far from the food bank.
General manager Doug Spirig says they help with “in-kind donations from the facility, plus we’ve been able to donate cash and give of our time as well.”
Employees volunteered more than a thousand hours of their time last year alone. Along with corporate donations of about 4,500 kilograms of surplus from the warehouse, says Spirig.
“They’re able to give us a list of items that are in need, something like diapers, food items, toiletries, anything that they can use to support the community.”
Those items are put to use at the food bank warehouse located at 6051 47th Street in Leduc, Alta.
The warehouse serves a population of 100,000 people across seven municipalities feeding the hungry in central Alberta.
Tony Robinson, treasurer of the Leduc and District Food Bank, says the need has doubled in the past few years at the same time donations from the public are down.
“Whether it’s Amazon or Costco or Safeway, the reality is for this food bank now the largest chunk of donations that are physical goods comes from corporate partnerships,” says Robinson.
He credits the food bank executive director Gert Reynar with carefully cultivating these relationships.
“She’s just a pitbull when it comes to doing all this stuff,” said Robinson. “She’s out there digging all the time.”
“I never say no,” said Reynar, “You build the relationship, I’ve had them come here from Amazon, they’ve toured, they see the programs we’re doing.”
Reynar has been with the food bank for 20 years, but said the need has never been higher.
“I have never seen the demand like this. I’ve been through some recessions, some pretty bad ones, nothing like this.”
Come together this holiday season to spread kindness and help our neighbours in need with CBC’s Make The Season Kind annual holiday drive. Visit cbc.ca/kind/yeg.