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Rotary preparing for annual October Food Drive with CDDHS students

September 24, 2026   ·   0 Comments

Written By JOSHUA DRAKES

LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

The Shelburne Rotary Club is preparing for its long-running October food drive, once again partnering with students from Centre Dufferin District High School (CDDHS) to support the Shelburne Food Bank at one of its busiest times of the year.

The annual initiative, now in its 35th year, is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3. Timed around Thanksgiving, the drive is designed to help restock food bank shelves as demand increases heading into the fall.

Rotary Club Food Drive organizer Sandra Gallaugher said that the need for support rises after the summer months. 

“We do this around Thanksgiving because the food bank has always needed more food at that time of year,” she said. “The summer tends to be light, but once they get into the fall, they’re needing more food. It’s a good time because it’s Thanksgiving, so people are more generous at that time.”

The food drive relies on a coordinated effort between Rotary volunteers and CDDHS students. In the week leading up to collection day, students deliver flyers and bags to every home in Shelburne, informing residents of the pickup date and time.

On the day of the drive, Rotary members and volunteers begin collecting filled bags from porches across town starting at 9:30 a.m.

Those who miss the porch pickup will still have an opportunity to contribute. Donations can be dropped off at Natasha Patterson Park during Pumpkin Fest, which begins at 12 p.m. on the same day.

This dual approach helps ensure as many contributions as possible reach the food bank.

The drive focuses on non-perishable, shelf-stable items such as boxed foods, canned fruits and vegetables, canned fish, peanut butter, cereal, pasta sauce, pancake mix, syrup, bagged lunch items for children, and hygiene products including shampoo and toothpaste. 

Organizers ask that donors not donate frozen or refrigerated foods, as they are difficult to manage during the collection.

As Shelburne’s population has grown, the Rotary Club is seeking additional volunteers to help cover the expanded routes and increased volume of donations.

“As the town has grown, we need more bags, and we need more volunteers,” Gallaugher said. “When we first started, I’m sure the town was like 700 people, and now it’s 10,000 plus. It’s grown a lot. So we certainly need as many volunteers as we can get.”

Interested volunteers are encouraged to contact Rotary member Sandra Gallaugher at 226-200-0925 to coordinate their involvement.

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