Hunger for brains fights hunger for a day
Some people organize bake sales, others volunteer at the Fredericton Kitchen, but a group of Frederictonians dressed up as zombies for a day to help the Fredericton food bank.
On Oct. 19, about 30 people gathered in Officer’s Square for Fredericton’s 11th annual Zombie Food Drive which aims to collect items for the Greener Village Food Bank on the Northside.
Stephanie Durelle, a past organizer, had her face and neck covered with zombie blood. She said there has been an increased use of the food bank in recent years, which makes raising donations and money important.
“No matter what time of the year, it’s always good to raise just even a little bit, and it’s a good, fun way to do it too. It’s a good excuse to dress up as a zombie,” she said.
Zombies walked by Carleton Street onto the Carleton Street River Lookout, where they took photos. Then, they walked to the Fredericton Courthouse, where they crawled up the stairs.
Participants Dean Grattan and his daughter Mia have been part of the walk for three years now. Grattan said it’s a way for he and his daughter to get out and spend time together.
“We like to get dressed up, we love Halloween. For us it’s something fun to do and support the community,” he said.
A truck from Greener Village Food Bank picks up the donations and brings them to the headquarters, where they are organized in shelves. More than 11,000 families and 3,500 people use the food bank.
Executive director Alex Boyd said the busiest months are November, when heating bills start to rise, and May, when people are unemployed and waiting to hear back from summer jobs.
He also said it’s important for Greener Village to be engaged with the food bank’s demand is one of the highest in the Maritimes.
“If we are going to fight hunger effectively, we need to have a large base of support to be able to meet that need, and people of the Zombie walk are a huge part of that,” he said.
After the walk, zombies returned to Officer’s Square to eat “brain” cake.
The event raised a cart filled with non-perishable food items and $40 in cash.
Boyd said pairing an exciting event like the Zombie Food Drive with helping others is “really cool.”
“You can take something that you enjoy and also help people while you enjoy it, it’s really neat.”