Thursday, January 24, 2013

Don Cameron Potato Night is Just Around the Corner

Press Release

 Mark your calendars for Don Cameron Potato Night on Friday, January 25, 7:00 p.m. at The Aud, when the Rangers host the Erie Otters.  Bring your donations of spuds or cash to the door and join Don and The Kitchener Rangers as they face-off against hunger. In addition, Zehrs Markets will donate an amount of potatoes equivalent to the total number of potatoes brought to the game by Rangers fans.

Remember: due to the nationally televised broadcast of Friday night’s contest versus Erie, game time has been moved up one half-hour to 7:00pm. The doors of the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium will be open to the public at 6:00pm.

Fans who forget their spuds or who are unable to make it to Friday’s game can text the word ‘SHARE’ to the number 41010 to donate $5 dollars to House of Friendship. Every $5 dollar donation will buy roughly 25 pounds of potatoes.

Led by ‘Team Blitz Coach’ Don Cameron, Rangers fans showed their generosity during the 2011-12 season by bringing 4,800 pounds of potatoes to the game (a donation matched by Zehrs Markets) and making $6,394 in cash donations .Together with Zehrs Markets’ initial donation of $5,000, Don Cameron Potato Night raised the equivalent of more than 85,000 pounds of potatoes last year, the best start ever to the February Potato Blitz campaign!

This is the 16th annual Don Cameron Potato Night with the Kitchener Rangers.  The event is the kick-off to House of Friendship’s annual February Potato Blitz, which aims to collect enough potatoes for food assistance throughout its 19 programs for an entire year. This year, in light of a recent 10% funding decrease to HOF’s emergency food hamper program, which distributes potatoes in food hampers, Team Blitz announced a new, higher goal of 300,000 pounds of potatoes.

Thanks to support from local farmers, House of Friendship is able to purchase potatoes year-round at a very low fixed price, enabling them to make the most of your Potato Blitz donations. Don Cameron Potato Night is the first of three February Potato Blitz events. On Saturday February 09, 2013, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. local shoppers can also support “Team Blitz” during the Supermarket Blitz at participating grocery stores in Kitchener Waterloo and area. Volunteers will be collecting donations and potatoes. And you can share a warm lunch with friends of House of Friendship at its Community Potato Lunch, Friday February 22, 2013, 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Kitchener. All are welcome at this special lunch of potato dishes. There is no cost for lunch, but donations will be gratefully accepted.

Local groups, schools and businesses can host their own Potato Drive during the month of February.  Donations can also be made throughout the month at House of Friendship’s Emergency Food Hamper Program, 807 Guelph St., Kitchener, (Mon.- Fri., 9am-4pm), at the Charles Street Men’s Hostel, 63 Charles St., E., Kitchener (anytime) or mailed to House of Friendship, PO Box 1837, Kitchener N2G 4R3.

To learn more about the February Potato Blitz, and to get involved, please contact Jenn at 519-742-8327 or visit www.houseoffriendship.org.

House of Friendship is a charitable agency founded in 1939. It serves low-income adults, youth and children in need of support, and promotes opportunities for personal growth, wholesome relationships and community development through the application of holistic Christian principles. Led by a volunteer Board of Directors, it serves over 42,000 people annually.


 (Nathan can be reached at nathanfournier@mainehockeyjournal.com)

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