St. Catharines Residents Asked to Buy Local and Share Local at St. Catharines
Farmers' Market This Saturday With Anna Olson

RBC Will Give $5,000 to Community Care St. Catharines & Thorold

ST. CATHARINES, ON, Sept. 17 /CNW/ - The Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB), TV personality and chef Anna Olson , Community Care St. Catharines & Thorold, and presenting sponsor RBC are taking a fresh approach to food drives at the St. Catharines Farmers' Market this week by asking neighbours in St. Catharines to buy and share fresh, local food with their local food bank at the market.

"The Buy Local Share Local program aims to provide the hundreds of thousands of Ontarians who are forced to turn to food banks with fresh and healthy foods grown locally by area farmers," said Adam Spence , Executive Director of the OAFB. "We are facing tough times in Ontario, and food banks are struggling to keep up with demand. We need all the help we can get."

RBC will make a $5,000 donation to Community Care St. Catharines & Thorold at the St. Catharines Farmers' Market. In 2008, RBC provided $65,000 to food banks throughout Ontario.

Buy Local Share Local is presented by RBC, with Anna Olson as its ambassador. On her Food Network show, "Fresh with Anna Olson ," Anna invites viewers into her Niagara-region home and creates unique meals using her mantra "eat fresh, eat local." St. Catharines residents can support the campaign by sharing in person this Saturday at the St. Catharines Farmers' Market and dropping off their donation of fresh, local produce directly at the OAFB Buy Local Share Local booth.

The Buy Local Share Local tour is traveling to over 25 farmers' markets in 15 different cities across Ontario between July and October. Buy Local Share Local runs in partnership with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA), Turkey Farmers of Ontario, Homegrown Ontario and the Ontario Farm Animal Council.

    
    WHO:      Anna Olson, Owner - Olson Foods at Ravine, Food Network Canada
              Betty-Lou Souter, CEO, Community Care St. Catharines & Thorold
              Adam Spence, Executive Director, Ontario Association of Food
              Banks
              Tracie Miskolczi, RBC Branch Manager, Niagara Falls

    WHAT:     Buy Local Share Local market booth

    WHERE:    St. Catharines Farmers' Market

    WHEN:     5:30 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday, September 19th
              Comments & cheque presentation at 9:30 am
              Anna Olson media availability until 10:30 am
    

For more information about Buy Local Share Local, please visit www.buylocalsharelocal.ca.

For further information: To request an interview with Anna Olson or Adam Spence, please contact: Jenelle Stevens, Pilot PMR on behalf of the Ontario Association of Food Banks, Phone: [phone] ext.32, email: [email protected]