Playing hockey usually makes you hungry, but have you ever played the kind of hockey that cures hunger?
Enter Five Hole For Food, a cross-country road trip bringing pick-up ball hockey games to 13 Canadian cities, raising money for the local food bank at each stop.
“I really wanted to harness the power of hockey to give back in communities outside my own,” said founder Richard Loat, 22.
People are encouraged to come to their local event with their stick and a donation of non-perishable food for the local food bank. The Victoria game is going down Friday, July 8 at the Saanich Plaza (3510 Blanshard Street next to the Save on Foods and Boston Pizza). Proceeds are going to the Mustard Seed Food Bank.
“Hockey fans have different loyalties, but on this court, the loyalties are shed and at the end of the day the food banks are the big winner,” Loat says.
Founded by Loat, an avid hockey fan, Five Hole For Food will travel 8,500 kilometres in 17 days and aims to collect 20,000 pounds of food before they’re through.
“Food bank inventories are typically lower in the summer, so we’re using hockey to bring
Canadians together to help others. It’s a recipe for success that will assist us in feeding many hungry families,” says Loat.
The crew started in St. John’s, N.L., June 23 (760 pounds), stopped in Halifax, N.S. June 25 (795 pounds), Charlottetown, P.E.I. June 26 (765), Saint John, N.B. June 27 (4,210 pounds), Montreal, Que June 29 (1,560 pounds), Ottawa, Ont June 30 (4635 pounds), Toronto, Ont. July 1 (2,620), Winnipeg, Man. July 3 (3,748), Regina, Sask. July 4(4,345 pounds), Calgary, Alta. July 5, Edmonton, Alta. July 6.
Victoria is the second-last stop on the tour before they finish up in Vancouver, Loat’s hometown, on July 9.
As of the match in Regina, Five Hole For Food has surpassed its goal of collecting 20,000 pounds of food for Canadian food banks with 23,592 pounds of food collected. The results from the Calgary and Edmonton games weren’t available at press time. Come out, play some hockey and support the Mustard Seed in a time of need. M