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Food Bank struggles under heavy demand

Food Bank struggles Agency sees rise in need for hampers
 Demand by local families in need has depleted The Salvation Army Food Bank to the point they are having trouble keeping up. For the first time in many years, shelves at the institution that has helped hundreds of families over the years, are getting bare. Captain Bram Pearce says it is not due to lack of donations, but the increased demand in 2008 has dwindled supplies. Yola Dyck has worked at the food bank for 13 years and says never has she seen such demand. They estimate the number of clients has gone up by 25 per cent since January. “There are more clients than ever before,” said Dyck. Dave Graham of The Salvation Army says there are a number of reasons for demand. People have seen reduced hours at their job, which has made it more difficult for families to make ends meet,

River not threatened by oil slick

Drumheller Fire Chief Bill Bachynski told The Mail, according to information received so far an oil spill which occurred upstream from the Dickson Dam has been contained, and there is no threat to communities downstream.

A leak was discovered on June 15 in a sweet crude pipeline licensed to Pembina Pipelines, about five kilometres north of the Town of Sundre. The line was running under the Red Deer River. Between 75 and 125 barrels of oil were spilled into the river, according to an Energy Resources Conservation Board (ERCB) release.

An oil sheen has been detected on Glennifer Lake, about 30 kilometres downstream from the site of the leak.

"We will continue to monitor the situation closely,” said Bachynski.”

Cheryl Robb of Alberta Environment says a boom has been set up at the mouth of the river, which has been successful in stopping much of the spill. A second boom has also been set up near the Dickson dam. Helicopter inspections of the river are being done, and water samples have been taken.

"Pembina has been walking the banks to monitor for impact on wildlife, right now there isn't any," said Robb.

Davis Sheremata of the ERCB, says they will be launching an investigation into the incident.

Relay raises $250,000 for fight against cancer

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It is obvious once again that Relay For Life is contagious as the totals for this year’s event hits a quarter of a million dollars.

After a wildly successful inaugural Relay For Life in Drumheller last year, organizers were modest in their goals and projections. They were astounded to find this year they raised $250,000 and counting.

“I thought if we raised between $150,000 and $200,000 that would be spectacular,” said event chair Merridy Martin “When you consider $250,000 with 400 participants compared to $430,000 with almost 1,000 participants (last year’s numbers), I think we did pretty darn good.”


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