BY BILL BRADLEY Christmas is coming early for the Sudbury Food Bank. The Sudbury Food Bank is going great guns this year in its Christmas card fundraising drive said administrator Dan Xilon and board chair Geoffey Lougheed. The cards, featuring art by local artists, sell for $5 at Lougheeds flower shops, Backyard Birder at the Four Corners, and Grand and Toy on Elm St. Purchased in lots of five or more, they are eligible for a charitable donation tax receipt for $4 each.
We have already covered our printing costs for our 13 cards with our sponsors and sold 2,000 cards at our launch/ gala held with the Sudbury Arts Council last Friday, said Xilon. The gala entitled Art of the Dessert had 150 people pack into a room at the Quality Inn where artwork for the cards by local artists was featured said Gord Harris president of SAC. Desserts were provided by Respect is Burning, Regency Bakery, La Boulangerie and Quality Inn.
Tickets sales benefited SAC said Michelle Fex executive director of SAC. The collaboration was first for both groups said Geoffrey Lougheed. Every card feeds someone at Christmas. By combining our local arts people and council with the obvious charitable need at the food bank, we have had extraordinary results. When we went to see Mayor John Rodriguez he said he believed in the mandate of both groups so much he couldn t help but support us. He ordered $3,000 worth of cards, said Lougheed.
At the gala the Sudbury Food Bank finished securing all the necessary sponsors to cover the $14,250 in printing costs said Xilon. One company, MacLean Engineering sponsored two cards and then one union, Retail Wholesale Department Store Union, sponsored a card and bought $1,400 worth of them so we are very pleased at this point. If all cards were sold we could raise $150,000 for the food bank, he said.