'Hundreds of thousands of lights': Truck Light Convoy ready to roll through Greater Victoria for charity
On Thursday, Mark Volk, president of the Island Equipment Owners Association, was putting the final few lights on Santa’s Workshop.
"Thousands, hundreds of thousands of lights," said Volk.
He's hanging the lights in preparation for this Saturday’s Truck Light Convoy and Food Drive.
"It’s an amazingly warm feeling," said Volk. "You pass, I guesstimate, about 100,000 people between Ogden Point and the Western Communities."
Beginning at 5:30 p.m., the convoy of 80 decorated trucks will leave Ogden Point in Victoria and meander through Greater Victoria before ending at Bear Mountain Parkway in Langford around 8:30 p.m.
Organizers ask that spectators bring a food donation, which will go to multiple food banks in the region.
One of those food banks is the Goldstream Food Bank.
Last month, the Goldstream Food Bank saw demand rise by 60 per cent, according to Walter Dubeau, vice president of the food bank.
"We’re making 650 hampers right now," he said.
The food for those hampers are covered, but the food bank’s shelves will be bare once those hampers have been filled.
"Everything that we’re going to have donated in the next few weeks will help us start the new year," said Dubeau.
In Sidney, the Peninsula Food Bank is also seeing a rise in demand.
"Here on the Peninsula our demand is up about 25 to 30 per cent," said Tyson Elder, operations manager at the Sidney Peninsula Food Bank.
"That’s families, that’s single people, that’s seniors, it’s everybody," he said.
But Elder says the truck light convoy will help cover the demand.
"The amount of donations they bring into local food banks and other charities around the area, it’s fantastic," he said.
It’s the truckers' way of giving back.
Mark Volk, president of the Island Equipment Owners Association, puts the finishing touches on Santa’s Workshop, his trailer for the Truck Light Convoy and Food Drive. (CTV News)
"About seven metric tones of food and I’m not sure what the dollar cash value is," said Volk. "We have a cash donations as well for all the food banks."
If you are planning to take in the 23rd annual event, there is a way to know exactly where the trucks are along their route.
"We put GPS trackers on the first and the last trucks in the convoy and the public can log into our website where there’s a link to the GPS," said Wendy Watt, manager of the Island Equipment Owners Association.
This year, Santa will be in his workshop attached to Volk's truck during the convoy.
"The real one, the McCoy," said Volk. "All the way from the North Pole, just for us."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Still so much love between us,' Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Pro-plastic lobbyist presence at UN talks is 'troubling,' say advocates
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Trump's lawyers grill ex-tabloid publisher as 1st week of hush money trial testimony nears a close
After prosecutors' lead witness painted a tawdry portrait of “catch-and-kill” tabloid schemes, defence lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial on Friday sought to dig into an account of the former publisher of the National Enquirer and his efforts to protect Trump from negative stories during the 2016 election.