Pictured above: The community response to the grocery donation at the Rossville store

Families in Rossville and Norway House, MB were thrilled when the Rossville Northern store organized a grocery giveaway in early June, providing meals and food security for the community members.

When Rossville Northern store experienced a major power failure caused by aging machinery on June 6, it was clear the problem could not be resolved immediately. The outage posed a threat to the store, as several products – including meat, dairy, and frozen foods –require constant power to be preserved.

Jason Winter, Rossville Northern Store Manager, and his team quickly rose to the occasion, deciding that the best course of action would be to give away the food to the community to help out the residents. They advertised the giveaway on the store’s Facebook page and informed the community radio station to help spread the word.

Pictured above: Rossville Northern Store employees ensuring all the food was given away (left); some of the groceries gifted to community members (right)

The response was overwhelming. Approximately 20 pallets of frozen and fresh food were saved and given away, benefiting more than 500 families. Numerous residents took to social media to express their gratitude and appreciation for the efforts of the Northern store team, who worked late to help out and ensure all the food was distributed.

“Food by the pallets, fresh milk, meat and so much more were given away that is going to take many families through the long run. I’m sure I speak for many when I say it’s very much appreciated and God bless you all,” wrote Elaine Laugher, a Norway House community member.

Winter said he and his team were both humbled and ecstatic they were able to make the food giveaway a reality in such a short span of time, helping stock the Rossville and Norway House residents’ fridges and freezers.

“Community members have shown that they support us day in and day out. Being able to give them back a little of their support turned a stressful day into a heartwarming win,” Winter said.