SASKATCHEWAN PROCLAIMED FIGHTING HUNGER WEEK

Social Services Minister Donna Harpauer has proclaimed October 13-18 as Fighting Hunger Week.

Saskatchewan's proclamation supports the Regina and District Food Bank's Great Food Fight of 2008 designed to raise awareness and replenish its supply of non-perishable food products before winter.

"Food security is an important part of any long-term strategy to reduce poverty," Harpauer said. "That is why the work of the Regina and District Food Bank to collect nutritional food and make it accessible to Saskatchewan people in need is so important."

To achieve its goal, The Regina and District Food Bank has teamed up with many local organizations ranging from media and private companies to the Girl Guides and Scouts Canada and other youth groups from the community. They are also attempting to recapture the Guinness World Record by collecting over 180 tons of food in 24 hours.

"This is a time of great need in the community as we look ahead to the colder winter months and the need to stock our shelves," Regina Food Bank CEO Wayne Hellquist said. "We continue to serve more than 8,000 individuals each month, many of them with young families, seniors and immigrants and the working poor. We are urging the citizens of Regina to come together to help the Regina Food Bank provide for those in need and, in doing so, to help us win the Great Food Fight and regain our Guinness World Record in the process."

"No one should go hungry in this province," Harpauer said. "We will continue to do our best to ensure that all people in Saskatchewan can benefit from the province's prosperity. That's why this government has taken steps to improve support for low-income families on the road to independence."

For more information on how to support the Great Food Fight of 2008, call the Regina and District Food Bank at 306-791-6533 ext. 222 or look for information on their website at www.reginafoodbank.ca. Hellquist also encourages people to contact their local food banks to find out how to help fight hunger in their communities.

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For more information, contact:

Debbie Clark
Social Services
Regina
Phone: 306-787-8689
Email: debbie.clark@gov.sk.ca