Firefighters give $200,000 in truck, cash to Surrey Food Bank at new event

Firefighters give $200,000 in truck, cash to Surrey Food Bank at new event

Published 11:00 am Friday, May 22, 2026

** This story was updated with donation totals

Two very different events benefited Surrey Food Bank on Thursday, May 21.

First was another Pay It Forward charity lunch hosted by Downtown Surrey BIA, followed by the food bank’s own Fill the Bay, a first-time community event held outside their warehouse in Newton.

On a sunny afternoon, Global BC’s Mark Madryga and Howard Blank co-hosted a gathering of games, entertainment, food trucks and more from 3 to 6 p.m. at 13478 78 Ave.

The festival-like fundraiser and food drive helped stock food bank shelves ahead of the summer months, when donations are typically down.

The event raised more than $166,000, making it “the most successful fundraising event in Surrey Food Bank history, surpassing previous Breakfast with the Bank events,” organizers said.

The total doesn’t include a new 5-ton truck, worth $100,000, gifted by Surrey Fire Fighters’ Charitable Society, but does factor in $50,000 this year, plus another $50,000 in 2028.

“Surrey Food Bank needed another truck to get the food out, to get the food here, to do the vital work they do in the community,” firefighter Dylan Van Rooyen told the crowd.

“This truck is hot off the lot,” added Kim Savage, food bank executive director.

“We got it a couple of days ago, just in time for this event. We’re so excited that Surrey Fire Fighters’ Charitable Society said yes to our request (for a truck). What drove that need is, we have been saying yes to everybody in the community who wants to donate food to us. Because of that, we’re now collecting almost double the amount of food that we did just 12 months ago.”

Other giant-cheque photo ops included $10,000 from Tzu Chi Canada Foundation.

The second-largest food bank in B.C., Surrey Food Bank supports close to 20,000 people monthly across Surrey and North Delta, with nearly half of them children.

“Summer can put extra pressure on families in so many ways,” Savage said. “When routines change and costs add up, many households feel stretched even further. Fill the Bay is about bringing the community together before summer begins so local families know support will still be here when they need it.”

At Civic Hotel, the BIA’s second Pay It Forward lunch for Surrey Food Bank was a “Celebration of Flavours & Cultures” gathering for $50 a ticket. “Lunch and live entertainment are sponsored (by CIBC, Civic Hotel and 99 Nursery & Florist),” said an event invitation. “Every dollar goes directly to those in need.”

Lots of food and games at @SurreyFoodBank’s Fill the Bay event in Newton today until 6pm.

It’s a hot one ☀️ – as promised by @MMadryga, event co-host with @howardblanklive @SurreyNowLeader pic.twitter.com/UJlTXxIntZ

— Tom Zillich (@TomZillich) May 21, 2026