Refrigerated truck donated to Edmonton Food Bank by Oilers foundation

The Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation (EOCF) just made deliveries a lot easier for the city’s food bank.

The group donated a brand new refrigerator truck to help allow more pickups of fresh and frozen goods across the community.

The truck will be instrumental in picking up the food and bringing it back safely.

READ MORE: Food bank demand soars nearly 60% in Edmonton

The food bank had an older food truck, but the new one will be bigger and will provide more storage space.

The new truck is being built in the United States and will be on the road by September – just in time for the beginning of the school year.

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READ MORE: Edmonton Food Bank collects just 50% of donation goal at largest event of year 

Tamisan Benczen-Knight, manager of strategic relationships and partnerships with the Edmonton Food Bank, said groups like the EOCF help them keep giving back.

“When Edmonton’s food bank talks about the Oilers, we think about community, the EOCF,” she said.

“We cannot do the work alone and it’s groups like this that allow us to continue doing our work.”

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This has been one of the strongest years on record for the foundation. Over $2.8 million has been donated to charities and minor hockey associations across North America.

Benczen-Knight explained the food bank is not government funded and therefore relies on donations like the delivery truck to allow it to move around more and feed more people.

READ MORE: Edmonton Food Bank distributes record number of hampers 

Between 22,000 and 24,000 people use the food bank’s services each month.

“That is a lot of people in need in Edmonton,” Benczen-Knight said. “We must ensure that we have that product and continue moving it in and out.”

Natalie Minckler, executive director of EOCF, said that the funds are generated through Oilers fans that participate in community activities.

“We hope that this will help Oilers fans connect the dots.

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“When our fans participate, this allows us to generate the funds we need to reinvest back in the community.”

The food bank will be collecting donations Friday at Folk Fest and hopes to reach its goal of 50,000 kg of food.