Amid cheque presentations, speakers pay tribute to Dan Xilon, the outgoing long-time executive director of the Sudbury Food Bank, for his contributions
With the wrap-up of the Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive on Dec. 17, participants paid tribute to the man who, for the past 24 years, has kept the Sudbury Food Bank running.
Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles, who was in Sudbury Dec. 16 and 17, attending several events, along with Sudbury MPP Jamie West, presented Dan Xilon with a certificate of recognition for his years of service in the role.
“There’s a lot of volunteers who we don’t get to see, but Dan is the visible face,” said West, who was also joined at the event by Nickel Belt NDP MPP France Gélinas. “He has done a great job of really pushing this forward.”
Gord Gilpin, director of Vale’s Ontario operations, who was there to speak about Vale’s involvement in the food drive, also had some words of praise.
“I think it’s appropriate to recognize Dan for his tremendous leadership and dedication to this organization,” he said. “Twenty-four years. Dan, congratulations. We all owe you a lot, and it takes special people to maintain a tireless dedication to this type of thing, to keep things going.”
Xilon, who will be handing over the reins as the food bank’s executive director to Natalie Labbée on Dec. 31, said he’s been “so proud to be able to serve this community for so many years.”
“And you know, they keep saying, ‘Well, Dan did this, and Dan did that.’ Dan doesn’t do it,’” he said, adding that it’s the community that makes the difference.
During the press conference, the Sudbury Food Bank was presented with a cheque for $120,314, which includes a donation of $100,000 from Wheaton Precious Metals and Vale Base Metals, and $20,314 from gate collections at Vale’s Sudbury operations.
It was also announced that Rainbow District School Board schools collected $53,590 in cash donations on top of non-perishable food items, the result of the Edgar Burton Kids Helping Kids Food Drive, which involves local schoolchildren in the food drive.
The 2nd Battalion Irish Regiment also does their part by picking up donations from participating schools and businesses.
Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles also announced that New Democrats attending an event on Dec. 16 donated to the food drive instead of to party coffers.
“When Jamie and France told me about this food drive … I really had to be here,” said Stiles. “I also want to say we did bring a car full of donations, because we held a little NDP event last night and asked people to donate.”
Following the event, asked how much the Edgar Burton Christmas Food Drive brought in this year, Xilon told us the final total is not available yet, but he’s expecting it to be more than last year, when $240,000 in cash and food items was brought in.
The food drive was launched 38 years ago by Edgar Burton, a machinist at Inco (now Vale). Sadly, Burton passed away from cancer in 2010, but his legacy lives on through the food drive, which press materials say is one of the largest in Ontario.
Burton’s wife, Sharon Burton, was at the Dec. 17 wrap-up event, and received a shout-out from speakers.
Vale Base Metals donates the time of two full-time United Steelworkers (USW) Local 6500 employees for approximately two months to organize the initiative.
One of those employees is Owen Marcotte, who co-chairs the Vale food drive collection efforts along with Vale’s Rachel Meehan. He harkened back to the words of Burton in his remarks.
“Wanting to collect ‘one more can than last year’ were the kind words of Edgar,” Marcotte said. “That pure kindness is the answer to helping those in need. Thankfully, the United Steelworkers Local 6500 and Vale Base Metals share that same kindness and work together each year to allow me and my food drive partner and union brother, Garrett Lloyd, and co-chair Rachel Meehan, to accomplish our objective of continuing Edgar’s goal.”
Heidi Ulrichsen is Sudbury.com’s assistant editor.
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