In 2010 a group of people in a small faith community felt inspired to create a community wide identity called Pickering Cares that would be an appropriate banner to bring together faith groups, Scouting and Guiding groups, community groups and local business to accomplish projects for the community.
The first project, a City Wide Door-to-Door Food Drive was pulled together in May of 2010. With well over 100 volunteers from churches, Scouting and the community at large, the volunteers were able to gather up 5.5 tons of non-perishible food for the two major food banks servicing clients in Pickering; St. Pauls-on-the-Hill Food Bank and the Salvation Army House of Hope Food Bank.
Again in 2011, the Pickering Cares Project was a City Wide Door-to-Door Food Drive with a goal to reach 10,000 more homes. We were overwhelmed by the effort of more than a hundred volunteers.
Then, in 2012 we held our 3rd door-to-door food drive. We were pleased to announce the addition of Pickering Town Centre as a major supporter of our efforts. You saw some changes to how we publicized that year's drive. First, we distributed collection brown bags in the News Advertiser. Second, we distributed the brown bags, with the valuable assistance of many youth volunteers, at the Pickering Town Centre the weekend of May 4th and 5th. Then on May 12th our volunteers combed the houses of urban Pickering and collected their donations. The results were over 6 tons of food for our partners.
Now in 2014 we will again partner with great people across Pickering to help feed needy families in our immediate communities.
But our purpose is to show love. To show love to those who are in need. To show love to those who care for those in need. To show love to all those who come together as partners to accomplish this goal.
Thank you all.
