The Canada Post strike is now in its fourth week, affecting everything from governments and small businesses to holiday shoppers.
Also being affected are local non-profits.
One Hastings Highlands resident says the strike is presenting challenges for an annual food bank fundraiser.
For over a decade, Charlie Foster has raised money in order to donate turkeys to the Maynooth food bank during the holidays.
According to Foster, the Canada Post strike is now limiting how some people can donate.
“With the postal strike, I’m not getting the cheques that people mail me from all over. We get help from all kinds of people. I got a cheque last year from a doctor out west that I don’t even know how he got to know about it.”
Foster says his annual turkey-buying started over a decade ago when he bought ten turkeys for the food bank.
“I took the turkeys to the food bank, but then I found out that they needed a lot more. So then I decided to raise money to cover the whole thing… my friend Mike Hendrickson from Bancroft, who I worked with at Army, Navy Bingo, he decided that he would help. So he threw in $300 and we got more turkeys… So that’s how it got started and then it just went from there.”
Foster says they are now buying 45 turkeys at Christmas, hams at Easter, and that this year there was enough money to buy turkeys for Thanksgiving.
“Another guy that’s really been helpful is Stu McDonald from Army Navy because Stu gets the turkeys for me from No Frills at a good price and then I just pay him.”
Foster continued to acknowledge all the community support for the turkey fundraiser.
“I get a lot of support from local people” he told MooseFM.
“I guess you could say i believed in it and it’s worked out.”
Anyone who would like to donate money for the turkeys can contact the church and/or e-transfer their donation to the treasurer of the Maynooth United Church at [email protected].
The Maynooth and Area Food Bank is formed by members of the local churches and community.
The food bank is open on the second and third Thursday of each month between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.
