Letter: Give 30 Kingston raises record-breaking $25K for local food bank

Editorial note: The following is a submitted letter from the Give 30 Kingston campaign co-chairs. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Kingstonist.

To the members of the Kingston community,

On behalf of the Give 30 Kingston Team — including our partner, Partners in Mission Food Bank — we would like to take this opportunity to relay our appreciation to this great community for raising a record-breaking grand total of $25,000 for Partners in Mission Food Bank through the Give 30 Campaign. This shatters our previous record of $16K from last year. This is the most we have ever raised in the past decade of running this campaign! We are deeply humbled and grateful to the Kingston community for their generosity and compassion for our neighbours who are struggling with hunger.

Give 30 was initially launched in 2012 to bring attention to hunger in our communities and encourage people to support local food banks during the month of Ramadan through Give30.org (or Give30.ca). Kingston joined the campaign in 2014, making this year the 10th anniversary for Give 30 Kingston. The initial focus was to motivate people who are fasting in Ramadan to donate the money they save from skipping meals over the month. But, as emphasized by Ziyaad Mia, Give 30 National Chair and Founder, people who are not fasting can also take part; donations come from people of all faiths and backgrounds, as we are all part of the same community. The initiative now supports 17 major food banks and anti-poverty organizations across Canada, which together serve hundreds of thousands of people.

Give 30 is not about a particular group or faith, but about uniting in common humanity, and Kingston has exemplified this again and again. Hunger and poverty know no race, religion, ethnicity, creed, gender, or age, and we should come together as a community to alleviate it.

Thank you for your efforts to ensure that your neighbours do not go to sleep hungry, particularly during the unique challenges brought by the pandemic. Though the 2023 campaign officially came to an end on June 30, we urge you to extend your generosity throughout the year, especially during these summer months. According to Dan Irwin, Executive Director of Partners in Mission Food Bank, we typically see a decrease in donations to the Food Bank during the summer. Moreover, “hamper distribution is up 7.4 per cent as of the end of June.” Thus, as we end our campaign, we hope that you continue in your efforts to contribute to Partners in Mission regularly, by donating food, money, or just time to volunteer.

Together, we can help fight hunger.

In peace,

Mona Rahman & Abdur-Rashid (Michael) Taylor
Co-Chairs, Give 30 Kingston Campaign

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