Kitchener-Waterloo

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

For the first time since 2019, CBC Kitchener-Waterloo's Sounds of the Season show to benefit The Food Bank of Waterloo Region was held in-person at TheMuseum in downtown Kitchener on Friday morning.

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

Teen girl in bright red top holds microphone and sings
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.

Two women serve food to a lineup of people. Small bowls sit on a table in front of them for the soup.
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)
A man plays a keyboard and sings into a microphone
Musician JP Sunga was the house musician for the show and performed an original song. (Kate Bueckert/CBC)
A woman stands on a stage speaking with a man. Both are speaking into microphones. The background behind them says "make the season kind."
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.

Woman speaks into microphone holding small white dog. The dog is wearing a white sweater.
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)
Five-member band with two trumpets, a French horn, tuba and trombone
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)
Two young women speak into microphones in an interview with a man. They're on a stage.
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)

Sounds of the Season web banner

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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kate Bueckert

Content producer

Kate has been covering issues in southern Ontario for more than 20 years. She is currently the content producer for CBC Kitchener-Waterloo. Email: [email protected]