NORTH DELTA - This marks Delview Secondary School's 22nd year hosting its Thanks For Giving food drive, the largest single-day food drive in B.C.
More than 10,000 cans and other food items will be collected on Thursday, Nov. 6 in under three hours that evening, with all proceeds going to Deltassist and Surrey Food Bank.
For a second year, the initiative is a partnership with We Scare Hunger, a campaign launched in 2007 by the Free the Children organization.
More than 450 students at the North Delta school will be involved in the food drive, with 90 teams of people - including staff and parents - canvassing the neighbourhood for donations.
"We're hoping to reach our goal of 15,000 cans in one night," said teacher Jonathan Kung, an organizer of the food drive.
"In 2012, we counted over 18,000, which set a record for us."
Tiana Gordon, a Grade 12 student at Delview, has been volunteering for the annual food drive for five years.
"This event is important to me for many reasons," she noted. "I feel it unites the school across grades, and even though we are quite a small school, it is empowering to be able to organize an event with such a big impact on our community. Just knowing that something I helped organize is benefiting so many families is such an amazing feeling."
The food drive runs from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 6. Donations can also be dropped off at the school, located at 9111 116th St., North Delta.
The public is welcome to attend a silent auction at the school on the night of the food drive (Thursday), with admission being cans of food.
For details, visit the website Deltalearns.ca/delviewt4g or follow along at Twitter.com/delviewt4g (hashtag #DelviewT4G).