As residents of Churchill, Man., continue to struggle with soaring food prices and empty store shelves, a Winnipeg mother 1,000 kilometres south of the isolated town is working to ensure every family has a meal on Christmas.
But for Toni DeLaroque, organizing a food drive isnât only about â itâs also about honouring the memory of her five-year-old daughter Danica, who died in a canoeing accident in the northern Manitoba town in July 2016.
âWhen we lost our daughter, Churchill lost our daughter [too], and they grieved for our daughter and theyâve been absolutely fabulous reaching out,â DeLaroque told CTV Winnipeg.
Itâs been half a year since flooding destroyed the only rail line into the northern Manitoba town, cutting off its 900 residents from affordable and accessible food. Working with a team of dedicated volunteers, DeLaroque hopes to pack and ship more than 100 food-filled hampers to Churchill in time for the holidays.
âRight now itâs really, really dire for them, so why wouldnât we make an extra effort?â DeLaRoque told CTV Winnipeg.
The hampers are filled with festive foods like cranberry sauce and gravy, as well as staples like peanut butter and cereal.
With the help of donations from companies across Manitoba, there will be a community feast for 500 residents of Churchill on Dec. 23.
Feast organizer Helen McEwan said the idea for the community meal came when people in Churchill raised concerns that some families wouldnât be having a turkey dinner this Christmas. McEwan adds that feeding a family in Churchill costs roughly $100 a day.
âItâs very heartwarming,â McEwan told CTV Winnipeg. âSometimes we donât know if people outside of the community care about us, now we do know.â
With a report from CTV Winnipeg