A member of Georgian College’s support staff in Orillia has come up with a timely fundraiser to help students in need.
For the past six years, James McEachern has organized an Academy Awards pool at the school, raising between $100 and $200 each year for the campus Food Locker program. He’s stepping it up this time.
McEachern is putting on the first Movie Trivia Night. It will take place Feb. 20, four days before the Oscars are handed out.
“It’s fun and it’s for everybody,” McEachern said of trivia. “Somebody can always bring something to the table. It’s a communal event.”
He wanted to host an activity that was open to the public in an attempt to generate more support for Georgian’s Food Locker program.
“Students, especially young students, have enough struggles without having to worry about food,” McEachern said. “I remember what it was like when I was younger and my family didn’t have enough food.”
There’s a stigma associated with going to a food bank, he said, and that’s why he likes the program at Georgian. Students are given a locker number and a combination. They go to the assigned locker to discreetly pick up their food.
When McEachern decided to organize the trivia fundraiser, he reached out to local businesses and community members for support and was amazed by the response. So far, they have donated more than $1,200 worth of prizes available to be won during the fundraiser.
Participants are encouraged to bring non-perishable food to donate to the Food Locker program. They will receive a raffle ticket for each item they donate.
Anyone who wants to donate prizes can contact McEachern at 705-955-2952 or [email protected].
The event, which will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. at The Den at the Orillia campus, is open to all ages event, but the bar will be open.
Teams must consist of one to five people.
The cost is $5 per person. Registration is required. To register, email or call McEachern.
More information can be found on the event’s Facebook page.
The spots are filling up, so McEachern urges people to register soon.
While the event hasn’t happened yet, McEachern is already looking forward to the next one.
“I’m definitely going to do it again,” he said.
