CBC K-W's Sounds of the Season raises $13K for The Food Bank of Waterloo Region

Food bank says they've seen number of households in need jump 113% in a year

Image | Isy Aboagye, a student at Eastwood Collegiate Institute in Kitchener, Ont., performs during the CBC Kitchener-Waterloo Sounds of the Season show on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023 at The Museum.

Caption: Isy Aboagye, a student at Eastwood Collegiate Institute in Kitchener, performs during the CBC Kitchener-Waterloo Sounds of the Season show on Friday at The Museum. (Kate Bueckert/CBC)

CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's annual Sounds of the Season show raised $13,345 for The Food Bank of Waterloo Region Friday morning.
The show is part of a month-long campaign that raises food and funds for the food bank. The show on Friday was the first time since 2019 that it was live and in-person at TheMuseum in downtown Kitchener.
The show included live music, interviews with local organizations and an adorable dog named Girlie.

Image | Guelph-based chef and restaurateur Annie Nguyen

Caption: Guelph-based chef and restaurateur Annie Nguyen made a chicken noodle soup for the audience at the Sounds of the Season show. (Kate Bueckert/CBC)

Image | Musician JP Sunga at Sounds of the Season

Caption: Musician JP Sunga was the house musician for the show and performed an original song. (Kate Bueckert/CBC)

Image | Karen Pal food bank volunteer

Caption: Karen Pal has volunteered more than 1,600 hours at The Food Bank of Waterloo Region and told the audience why she donates her time. (Kate Bueckert/CBC)

Need on rise

In a community impact report released last month, the food bank said the number of new households needing food assistance in the community jumped 113 per cent in one year.
More than 58,600 adults, children, and seniors accessed food assistance this year — a 45 per cent increase compared to last year's report.
Over 30 per cent of the people surveyed also said they didn't have money to buy food even though they are currently employed or receiving some type of government assistance.

Image | Calla James KWSP Humane Society and her dog Girlie

Caption: Calla James of the Kitchener Waterloo Stratford Perth Humane Society with her dog Girlie spoke about how the organization is trying its best to keep up with demand for its pet food pantry. (Kate Bueckert/CBC)

Image | Members of K-W Brass

Caption: Members of K-W Brass, made up of members of the K-W Symphony which filed for bankruptcy earlier this fall, perform during the show Friday morning. (Kate Bueckert/CBC)

Image | Cornelia Manda, left, and Eva Stewart St. Mary's High School

Caption: Cornelia Manda, left, and Eva Stewart are co-presidents at St. Mary's High School in Kitchener and talked about fundraising efforts happening at the school this month and throughout the year. (Kate Bueckert/CBC)


Image | Sounds of the Season

(CBC)

No one in our community should go hungry

CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's annual Sounds of the Season campaign helps The Food Bank of Waterloo Region.