Christmas has come early for 10 Feed Niagara food banks.
Donations of non-perishable food items, toys and money have been pouring in during the Great Holiday Food Drive since the start at 6:00 a.m. Friday morning.
After 12 hours of fundraising, $614,000 was raised
Executive Director of Community Care Betty-Lou Souter made the official announcement, noting the total doesn't include $200,000 through a special fund from United Way,
Project Share in Niagara reports more than $227,000 in total donations.
While the situation in each Niagara municipality is a bit different, the need across the region is up, consistent with trends across the province showing food bank usage is up over 40%.