With rising costs of living and the upcoming holiday season putting pressure on local food banks, a local classic car club decided to step up and make a sizeable donation to Orillia's Sharing Place Food Centre.
The Back Alley Cruisers donated $1,770 to the Sharing Place Friday evening. The money was accumulated through their 50-50 draws over the course of 18 gatherings since May.
“It’s a sign of the times. People aren't paying their utility bills, and when they're not paying bills, they're buying food because they have to,” said club member Stuart Salt. “We wanted to support the city and the food bank just was the place to do so, so a lot of people will hopefully have a smile on their face.”
Salt said the donation is a direct result of the car enthusiasts coming together nearly every week.
“We truly thank everyone for their support,” he said. “We can't do it without them, and the donation to the food bank is not just from us, it's everybody here.”
The car show is finishing up its first year at the A&W parking lot in West Ridge, brought together by a group of car enthusiasts who have historically organized shows in Orillia. It’s a family-friendly show that’s open to cars, motorcycles, trucks, and “whatever you’ve got,” Salt said.
Friday marked the club’s final gathering for the year, which proved to be a successful venture that saw people travel from surrounding townships, Barrie, and Gravenhurst over the course of the season to gather with fellow car enthusiasts.
On top of the club’s 50-50 weekly draw, attendees had the chance to win prizes donated by a variety of local sponsors throughout the spring and summer.
The Back Alley Cruisers also made a food donation to the Sharing Place Friday evening.
Sharing Place executive director Chris Peacock came to Friday’s car show to accept the donation.
“It means a lot. It's incredible to be able to get support from such a great community of car enthusiasts … for people that really need some extra help,” he said.
Peacock said the donation will help the Sharing Place get through the holiday season.
“At this time of year, when it’s coming into Thanksgiving and becomes the holiday season – it’s very difficult,” he said. “Our food drive, or healthy holiday donation drive, starts in October all the way to the end of December, and to be able to get this support is really important, and we're very thankful for that.”
He said the need is rising locally.
“We serve over 1,700 people a month out of our facility through a bunch of cooking programs,” he said. “We support 22 local elementary and high schools that feed over 4,500 kids a day, so we're quite busy. This really allows us to be able to continue our momentum.”