“People are very generous,” said Constable Kenneth Gray, during a Monday phone call about results of the December 11 food drive at the Asselin Independent Grocer. 

Officers from both the regular and auxiliary force, volunteers from the Banque alimentaire central de Hawkesbury Central Food Bank, the Hawkesbury Rotary Club, town hall, and other agencies took part in the drive inside the store foyer, collecting cash donations and bags of food items to add to the collection bins. Store owner Daniel Asselin and several members of his staff took turns in a corner space inside the store, packing up boxes of donated food. 

The food drive ran from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Constable Gray noted that a weekend storm warning last Friday prompted many Hawkesbury residents to do their grocery shopping earlier in the week rather than wait for Saturday. 

But at the end of the day, he noted, this year’s drive finished with more than $2000 worth of food to help stock the shelves for Christmas at the food bank and also more than $4000 in cash donations that food bank staff can use to buy a wide variety of items that food bank clients may need. 

“Not bad at all for the day,” said Const. Gray.