TYNE VALLEY – Oct. 29, 2025 – Residents and students of the Evangeline region and surrounding areas slightly increased their contributions to the Tyne Valley branch of the West Prince Caring Cupboard food bank, during this year’s annual October food drive.

The food drive partners are pleased to announce that this year’s combined grand total of $4,040.66 exceeds the 2024 drive total by nearly $600. Food bank coordinator Verna Barlow said she is very grateful to receive all these non-perishable foods at this time of year, as demand for food continues to rise, especially in light of the ever-increasing cost of living.

First, the community food drive at the Wellington Co-op brought in an estimated $1,147.21 in groceries. The school drive at Évangéline School, including groceries and cash contributions ($314.35) donated through the Provincial Credit Union (Évangéline branch), had an estimated value of $2,903.45. Added together, these two numbers give the grand total $4,040.66.

Marise Wood’s leadership class (from Grades 7, 8, and 9) at Évangéline School loaded cars with all these groceries on the morning of Oct. 29 to take them to Tyne Valley. Once there, they brought the food inside to be weighed. They then sorted it by expiration date and type of food before placing it on shelves in the storage rooms.

The students learned that the food bank serves the area from the Évangéline region to Portage and that their efforts will help feed many local families in need. All food contributions are given a value of $7.89 per kilogram (an amount set by the federal government).

The food drive ran Oct. 1-25 and was organized as part of Co-op and Small Business Weeks as a gesture of community support for those who are less fortunate. It is a joint initiative of the previously mentioned partners along with the Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI.

CONTEST AND PRIZES

Two contests were associated with these annual food drives. First, a random draw was held among all contributors to the community food drive for a $100 gift card from the Wellington Co-op. Diane Richard from Mont-Carmel was the winner.

At Évangéline School, the Provincial Credit Union presented a $100 cash prize to the class that collected the most items per student. Lucy Ryan’s kindergarten class was named this year’s champion, as her nine students brought in a total of 84 items, an average of 9.3 items each. With the prize money, the class will organize a small pizza party and buy some candy and possibly some classroom toys.

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PHOTO 1: Some members of the Évangéline School leadership class show off the many boxes of food collected during the October food drive. Pictured from left are Jaylynn Perry, Hailey Jeffery, Charlee Yeo, Amélie Côté, and their teacher, Marise Wood.

PHOTO 2: Verna Barlow, left, coordinator of the Tyne Valley branch of the West Prince Caring Cupboard, offered her sincere thanks to the Évangéline School leadership class for their efforts in collecting all this food. She is pictured with Jaylynn Perry, Charlee Yeo, teacher Marise Wood, Hailey Jeffery, and Amélie Côté.

PHOTO 3: Lucy Ryan’s kindergarten class at Évangéline School won the $100 prize from the Provincial Credit Union (Évangéline branch) for collecting the most food items per student. On the far right of the photo is Alecia Arsenault of the Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI, who came to help present the prize on Oct. 29, and on the left, Diane McInnis of Provincial Credit Union, who is presenting the $100 bill to the kindergarteners.

PHOTO 4: Three of the organizers of the community food drive, Chris O’Brien of the Wellington Co-operative, Alecia Arsenault of the Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI, and Diane McInnis of the Provincial Credit Union, also visited the Tyne Valley food bank Oct. 29 to help deliver the food that was collected.

For more information:
Raymond J. Arsenault
Manager, Acadian and Francophone Chamber of Commerce of PEI
902-960-1285
raymond@rdeeipe.org