Stocking up in the spirit of the holidays

MONTREAL - In the spirit of the holidays, the Canadiens will be holding their annual food drive on Thursday and are counting on the generosity of Montrealers to help make it a big success.

The club is joining up with the province-wide Grande Guignolee des Medias, where media and other organizations come together to collect non-perishable food items and money all across Quebec. Donated food will be given to Moisson Montreal and Societe Saint Vincent de Paul, who will help distribute the resources in Montreal.
Starting at 6:00 a.m. and right up until the start of Thursday night's game against the Calgary Flames, the Canadiens will be accepting donations at the Cour Rio Tinto adjacent to the Bell Centre, a convenient stop for commuters on their way to start their day.
Fans making donations will be greeted by various members of the Canadiens organization - including Youppi! - and broadcast partners. Closer to puck drop, they should see a heavier dose of Canadiens alumni - and the players' wives and girlfriends - on hand to accept their contributions. Every hour, a draw will take place for tickets to the game.

According to the Canadiens Children's Foundation website, over 163,000 people rely on support from food banks in Quebec each month.
The Foundation's Executive Director, Genevieve Paquette, is proud the organization is able to join in and do its part, but points out that it's important to be mindful of people in need all year round.
"The day that we're doing it is all part of a collective initiative. Every day is a good day to give non-perishable food items. At Christmastime it may seem natural, which is one of the reasons [the food drive] is held at this time of the year, but you'll hear food banks regularly in February, March, April, during the summer raise a little flag and say, 'We're missing, we don't have enough to help everybody who is asking for help,'" explained Paquette. "That's very important."