Curves wants to help the people lose a few pounds. A few pounds of food that is.
Curves is a international chain of fitness centres whose purpose is to help women maintain a healthy lifestyle through exercise, health and fitness training, but this month the chain wants to also reach out to the less fortunate in their communities.
For two weeks starting on March 9, Curves International is challenging its members in the United States and Canada, including those in Barrhead, to donate non-perishable food items or make a monetary donation to their local food bank during the company’s 17th annual Feed the Need campaign.
To help encourage the public to come in and donate, the fitness centre is also offering an extra incentive.
For those people who either bring in a $30 cheque made out to their local food bank or bring in a grocery bag filled with $30 worth of non-perishable food items, the gym will wave their normal service fee for anyone who wants to join Curves. The fitness centre will also waive their service fee for anyone who brings in a friend who signs up for a gym membership.
Barrhead Curves co-owner Dawn Carlson said the people of Barrhead have always been generous.
“We (along with her mother Debbie Carlson) have owned Curves for five years now, and we are always surprised at people’s generosity,” she said, adding that often the gym receives more than 500 pounds of food alone.
Every year just before the food drive, Carlson receives a list from the Barrhead FCSS Food Bank with a request for some of the most needed items.
“It varies from year to year, but the staples like pasta, rice and peanut butter are always high on the list,” she said.
Robin Kapler, FCSS Advocacy and Support Co-ordinator, said the Curves food drive couldn’t have come at a better time.
“Over the Christmas season, the people in our community were so gracious and donated a lot of food and that helped us get through the winter,” she said. “But now that we are in March our reserves are a little low so getting a donation from a food drive would definitely help us build up our reserves again.”
Kapler said the food bank is especially anxious to build up their store rooms with food once again after experiencing a particularly busy summer and fall.
“In 2014, from the summer right up to Christmas, there was a huge increase in the amount of people coming to the food bank,” she said. “In the new year, it has levelled out a bit, but I know with the economy as it is now, our volunteers are anticipating we might see another rise.”
Besides food items, another item Kapler said people often don’t think about is basic toiletries.
“If people are having problems affording food they often don’t have the money to buy other necessities, like toilet paper, toothbrushes and toothpaste or other everyday hygiene products that we all need,” she said.
Donations for the Curves annual food drive can be dropped off at Curves (5015-51 St. in the Barrhead Leader Building) from March 9 to 21 during their regular business hours.
Cheques for the food bank should be made out to FCSS with food bank written on the memo line.
