'A really neat idea': Selfies with sunflowers fundraiser returns to Manitoba
Along the Trans-Canada Highway stands a sea of sunflowers, a place where Manitobans can go to take selfies, all for a good cause.
The flowers are located near MacGregor, Man. and if people want to take pictures, all they have to do is donate, with money raised going to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.
This is one of several fundraisers being put on by FOCUS (Feed Other Countries, Undo Starvation), a collective of farmers and volunteers between Austin and Elie who work to raise money for the foodgrains bank.
“Altogether we look after about 400 acres that gets donated,” says Dean Toews, FOCUS chairperson. “Of those fields, some of them, farms look after, some of them, our board look after, and then the harvest proceeds go toward Canadian Foodgrains Bank.”
Last year was the first time Toews had run the sunflower selfie fundraiser, the success of which inspired him to do it again.
“We raised $2,000 just in cash donations on the field,” he says. “There would have been some online donations as well. And then the proceeds from the crop worked out to about $20,000.”
The FOCUS growing project as a whole raised approximately $200,000 across their 400 acres last year.
“It was a really neat idea that is new to the variety of growing projects across the country,” says Julie Derksen, the supporter relations manager of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. “And it’s a really innovative idea where people are stopping and they’re learning something new about us, about the FOCUS growing project, and about our collective mission to end hunger.”
Toews has made changes this year to enhance the experience over last year. “We have a trail system that we worked into the fields so people can walk into the crops,” he says. “There’s areas in there for even if a group wants to take pictures in there. We have spaces inside the crops so you can be surrounded 360 degrees by sunflowers, and stay as long as you like.”
Toews predicts the fundraiser will run for approximately three weeks as long as weather conditions remain ideal.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Ontario reveals highest public sector salaries in sunshine list
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.