THUNDER BAY – North America’s longest-running food bank fundraiser is again taking its unique journey across Canada and the US Midwest and Northeast in a cross-border mission to feed our communities.
It’s the 12th year for the CP Holiday Train,with two specially-decorated freight trains and musicians trekking across six Canadian provinces and eight US states.
Residents in about 140 cities and towns on both sides of the border will be able to join the Holiday Train spirit and magic, with all food and money raised at each stop staying in that community for local distribution. Each Holiday Train has 14 rail cars decorated with hundreds of thousands of festive lights. Included is a modified box car that has been turned into a traveling stage for performers. The two trains are assembled and decorated by CP employees in Montreal, Smith Falls and Calgary.
Since 1999, the CP Holiday Train program has raised $4.8 million and generated almost 2.3 million pounds of food donations for local food shelves.
“With our HungerCount 2010 survey showing a 9.2 per cent increase in Canadians turning to their local food shelves in 2010 compared to 2009, the CP Holiday Train is a unique and creative program that gives people an opportunity to support their local food banks,” said Katharine Schmidt, Executive Director of Food Banks Canada.
The Holiday Trains will embark on its three-week journey from November 26 to December 17.Entertainers on the Canadian train include the Odds and the Brothers Dube. Melanie Doane and Kelly Prescott will grace the stage of the US Holiday Train.
Since 1999,the CP Holiday Train program has helped raise $4.8 million and generated almost 2.3 million pounds of food donations for local food shelves.
The Holiday Train is on Facebook and twitter:@CPHolidaytrain.
Northern Ontario Schedule
Sudbury – 9:45 p.m., VIA Train Station, Elgin St.
Thursday, December 2
Cartier – 11:15 a.m., CP Train Station, 3 Spence St.
Chapleau – 5:00 p.m., CP Train Station, 50 Dufferin St.
White River – 9:30 p.m., CP Train Station, 102 Winnipeg St.
Friday, December 3
Mobert – 9:15 a.m., across from Band Office
Heron Bay – 11:30 a.m., old CP Train Station, beside Esso building
Marathon – 1:00 p.m., beside Curling Club parking lot, Stevens Ave.
Schreiber – 3:45 p.m., CP Yard at Cenotaph, beside Harvest Food Cupboard building
Nipigon – 6:30 p.m., CP Building across from Nipigon Inn, 60 Front Street
Thunder Bay – 9:45 p.m., CP Train Station, 440 Syndicate Ave.
Saturday, December 4
Ignace – 9:45 a.m., CP Train Station
Dryden – 12:15 p.m., CP Yard entrance, Queen St. and Earl Ave.
Vermillion Bay – 1:45 p.m., Bay Street Railway Crossing south of Hwy 17
Kenora – 3:45 p.m., CP South Yard across from Wholesale Store, 8th Ave. South entrance