Blue Bombers gearing up to tackle hunger

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Harvest Manitoba are teaming up for this year's Purolator Tackle Hunger game. (Jamie Dowsett/CTV News Winnipeg)

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are back in action Friday at Princess Auto Stadium – and the Blue and Gold are hoping fans don’t come empty-handed.

It’s the football club’s Purolator Tackle Hunger game – an annual fundraiser for Harvest Manitoba.

“We’ve seen a 150 per cent increase in food bank use since 2019,” Colleen McVarish, Harvest Manitoba’s director of partnership, told CTV News. “And we’re averaging 50,000 Manitobans a month accessing a food bank in the province.”

Bomber fans are asked to bring a ‘tin for the bin’ including canned items like soup, vegetables, and tuna. The club is also looking for non-perishable foods like pasta, rice, and baby food.

Peak of the Market has pledged to match donations up to 10,000 pounds.

While Harvest Manitoba collects food donations at every Bomber home game, Friday’s match-up against the Calgary Stampeders comes with an added challenge – bragging rights.

The Purolator Tackle Hunger program is a competition with among CFL teams.

“We haven’t won it in a few years, so we need to bring those heavy cans of food to the game on Friday and make sure our weights are well above everybody else’s,” McVarish said.

Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Princess Auto Stadium.