A St. Albert car wash is gearing up for its annual Wash Away Hunger campaign, where it collects donations for the St. Albert Food Bank.
Jayson Sevilla, Clearwater Site Manager said the event started as a way for the car wash to give back to the community, a repayment for all the support they've received throughout the years.
"We can't think of any better ways to celebrate our anniversary than to do a fundraising event," Sevilla said.
This will be their third Wash Away Hunger campaign and it will run through the entire month of August. He said they will be accepting donations on behalf on the St. Albert Food Bank in the form of monetary donations and non-perishable food items and unexpired products.
He said the first year they were able to collect $1300 in donations plus food items. This jumped last year, where they managed to reach over $8900 in monetary donations plus three full bins of food.
With last year's Wash Away Hunger donations, the St. Albert Food Bank was able to support 647 families.
The need for donations is palpable. In an email sent to the Gazette by Sevilla, St. Albert Food Bank Executive Director Suzan Krecsy said they continue to see an increase in the number of families served each month. They have seen between 40 and 50 more than the same time last year, and are currently serving over 1800 individuals per month.
Their big day will be on Aug. 29, when he said St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron and councillors are invited to make an appearance. There will also be food trucks on Aug. 29 and Aug. 30, and a spin to win for people who donate, with prizes like different swag items and a free car wash.
Sevilla said he feels a personal connection with the event, dating back to when he was a temporary worker in 2015, when he was living with a family that relied heavily on the food bank.
"One time I came home and there was a lot of food in our hallway and then I actually found out that it was the St. Albert Food Bank that helped that family because they were in need at that time. So I know that's the reason why we're also helping the St. Albert Food Bank because we know that the help is really going to the people that are really in need," he said.
