ManitobaHarvest Manitoba fundraising efforts, supported by CBC, brought in a record amount this year to help families in need put food on their tables. Harvest Manitoba collects $258K in donations that were matched to bring grand total to just over $516KCBC News · Posted: Dec 08, 2025 4:26 PM EST | Last Updated: 11 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.CBC Manitoba’s annual programming in support of Harvest Manitoba’s fundraising efforts began on Friday with radio shows featuring live music. (CBC)Harvest Manitoba fundraising efforts, supported by CBC, brought in a record amount this year to help families in need put food on their tables. “It takes a province to feed a province. No one does that better than we do in Manitoba,” Harvest Manitoba president Vince Barletta said. “Gifts, large and small, all add up, and when we do that, we can do great things.” Every year, CBC teams across Canada come together to support the fundraising efforts of local food banks during the Make the Season Kind campaign. In Manitoba, it started on Friday, with radio programming featuring live music, and ran until Sunday night — but some donations were made even before the official start. Harvest Manitoba raised $258,470.30 through donations, and those funds were matched by anonymous donors as well as Dave and Elena Forgan and family, bringing the grand total to $516,940.60.A file picture shows people helping out in the Harvest Manitoba warehouse. (Svjetlana Mlinarevic/Harvest Manitoba)That total passed the previous record — $504,296.60 raised during Make the Season Kind last year. “If you and your family are doing all right and you were able to make that gift, we thank you so much and we can’t do it without you,” Barletta said. With every dollar raised, Harvest can get $10 worth of food through purchasing agreements, food donations and partnerships in the agri-food industry, Barletta said. “That’s a big part of the magic that lets us do the work that we do all across the province,” Barletta said.The biggest need is funds to buy food, with millions of dollars spent annually in recent years to fill food kits, Barletta said.The funds also help pay staff and support workforce training, among other programs. “It all goes toward supporting all of those causes, and we can’t do it without the support of Manitobans,” Barletta said. With files from Marcy Markusa
Manitoba food bank raises more than $500K during Make the Season Kind programming
