A few years ago, Kyle Chiasson was going through a difficult period and received emergency housing and food from The Salvation Army, as he worked to get his life on track. Today, he is a successful business owner giving back to the organization that once walked alongside him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kyle owns NL-DO-ALL, a company that offers snow clearing, moving services, yard maintenance and junk removal. This winter, he launched an initiative called the \u201cWinter Wish Food Run,” aimed at supporting The Salvation Army\u2019s food bank in Gander, N.L.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the course of two days, Kyle allowed his customers to pay for their snow removal with food donations. Through the initiative, he managed to raise over $600 worth of non-perishables, plus $200 in cash, for the food bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cOnce the business started doing well, I knew I wanted to give back.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Kyle says he supports The Salvation Army because he credits its staff with motivating him to build a better future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always stayed in touch with The Salvation Army. They always helped me out. They are a great organization with kind-hearted people. I made good friendships, which had a big positive impact on me and made me want to do more for myself,\u201d Kyle shares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cI\u2019ve always stayed in touch with The Salvation Army. They always helped me out.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
After his time as a Salvation Army client, Kyle completed his education and earned certifications needed to launch his business. After investing in a truck and plow, his operation began to grow quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOnce the business started doing well, I knew I wanted to give back,\u201d Kyle recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As he met more people through his business, Kyle began to see how the high cost of groceries was affecting his neighbours, especially seniors on fixed incomes. That realization led to the idea for the Winter Wish Food Run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGroceries are not cheap nowadays. The cost of living is very high,\u201d Kyle adds. \u201cJanuary and February are also the hardest times of year for food banks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The community response to the initiative was overwhelming. People donated bags of food and added monetary contributions. As Kyle moved from house to house clearing snow, his truck\u2019s cargo bed got steadily filled with donations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For Kyle, the experience was a full-circle moment. He feels proud to be able to help the organization that once supported him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI love being able to help out,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Looking ahead, Kyle plans to make this food drive an annual tradition. He hopes to involve more trucks next year to increase the amount of food raised for the food bank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
By Juan Romero<\/p>\n\n\n \r\n