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St. Benedict School wins 2026 Thanks/Giving Food Drive Challenge

October 22, 2026   ·   0 Comments

By Sam Odrowski

St. Benedict Catholic Elementary School is the winner of the Orangeville Food Bank’s 2026 Thanks/Giving Food Drive Challenge.

Eight Dufferin County schools competed in the challenge on Oct. 2, and St. Benedict’s beat the competition with its 1,097 pounds of non-perishable food collected, including high-demand items such as canned proteins, condiments and deodorant.

Collectively, the eight schools gathered over 3,700 pounds of non-perishable food.

Participating schools include Island Lake Public School, St. Benedict, Montgomery Village Public School, The Hill Academy, Princess Elizabeth Public School, Westside Secondary School, Grand Valley and District Public School, and Mono-Amaranth Public School.

Each school will receive a certificate of appreciation from the food bank for their contribution, and a challenge trophy will go to St. Benedict’s at a future date.

“We’re so grateful to every school that took part,” said Carol Maitland, fund development specialist with the Orangeville Food Bank and Dufferin Food Share.

“Students, staff and families showed up with creativity and real heart. Congratulations to St. Benedict and thank you to all eight schools for helping make sure more families in our community have food on the table this season.”

The Thanks/Giving Food Drive Challenge comes as a record number of families are turning to emergency food support.

The number of people accessing the Orangeville Food Bank has grown by 88 per cent since 2021, while food donations haven’t kept pace, growing by just 22 per cent.

Worsening the situation is a 10 per cent drop in food donations over the past year, resulting in the food bank purchasing an additional 50,000 pounds of food to keep its shelves full.

Last year, the food bank distributed 605,106 pounds of food to individuals and families throughout Dufferin County.

The first two weeks of each month are especially busy, with the food bank seeing 127 families in the first nine hours of opening on Tuesday, Oct. 6.

A couple of days later, on Thursday, Oct. 8, it served 63 families in just three hours.

“Space is also stretched,” said the food bank in an Oct. 20 press release. “With limited cold storage and non-perishable food stored across several locations, OFB is looking at new ways to get food to the people who need it.”

“Support from schools makes a real difference. Every pound of food donated is a pound the food bank doesn’t have to buy, which frees up funds for fresh food and other essentials,” the food bank added.

Currently, the food bank’s most-needed items are fruit cups, dry soups, crackers, pasta, rice and grains, cereal and oatmeal, peanut butter and jam, canned or shelf-stable proteins, condiments, and toiletries such as deodorant and toilet paper.

To make a donation or learn more about the Orangeville Food Bank, visit:

orangevillefoodbank.org

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