Firefighters give $200,000 in truck, cash to Surrey Food Bank at new event<\/p>\n
Published 11:00 am Friday, May 22, 2026<\/p>\n
** This story was updated with donation totals <\/p>\n
Two very different events benefited Surrey Food Bank on Thursday, May 21.<\/p>\n
First was another Pay It Forward charity lunch hosted by Downtown Surrey BIA, followed by the food bank\u2019s own Fill the <\/a>Bay<\/a>, a first-time community event held outside their warehouse in Newton.<\/p>\n On a sunny afternoon, Global BC\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n The festival-like fundraiser and food drive helped stock food bank shelves ahead of the summer months, when donations are typically down.<\/p>\n The event raised more than $166,000, making it \u201cthe most successful fundraising event in Surrey Food Bank history, surpassing previous Breakfast with the Bank events,\u201d organizers said.<\/p>\n The total doesn\u2019t include a new 5-ton truck, worth $100,000, gifted by Surrey Fire Fighters\u2019 Charitable Society, but does factor in $50,000 this year, plus another $50,000 in 2028.<\/p>\n \u201cSurrey 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,\u201d firefighter Dylan Van Rooyen told the crowd.<\/p>\n \u201cThis truck is hot off the lot,\u201d added Kim Savage, food bank executive director.<\/p>\n \u201cWe got it a couple of days ago, just in time for this event. We\u2019re so excited that Surrey Fire Fighters\u2019 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\u2019re now collecting almost double the amount of food that we did just 12 months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Other giant-cheque photo ops included $10,000 from Tzu Chi Canada Foundation.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cSummer can put extra pressure on families in so many ways,\u201d Savage said. \u201cWhen 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.\u201d<\/p>\n At Civic Hotel, the BIA\u2019s second Pay It Forward lunch for Surrey Food Bank was a \u201cCelebration of Flavours & Cultures\u201d gathering for $50 a ticket. \u201cLunch and live entertainment are sponsored (by CIBC, Civic Hotel and 99 Nursery & Florist),\u201d said an event invitation. \u201cEvery dollar goes directly to those in need.\u201d<\/p>\n Lots of food and games at @SurreyFoodBank<\/a>\u2019s Fill the Bay event in Newton today until 6pm. <\/p>\n It\u2019s a hot one \u2600\ufe0f \u2013 as promised by @MMadryga<\/a>, event co-host with @howardblanklive<\/a> @SurreyNowLeader<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/UJlTXxIntZ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Tom Zillich (@TomZillich) May 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n