Surrey food bank collects 384.5 tonnes of donations in a single day

To celebrate its fourth anniversary in Surrey, the Guru Nanak Food Bank set itself a lofty goal: collect so many food donations, it would break a record.

The initial aim for their mega-food drive on Sunday was 313 tonnes in a single day, which organizers believed would be a first in North America.

To everyone's surprise, they beat that target and then some, by collecting 384.5 tonnes.

"In 11 hours, and that is awesome," said Neeraj Walia, who is head of operations.

"Very happy, all big smiles on the faces of the food bank persons," he said from the warehouse floor, where shelves were being stocked.

Pasta, rice, flour, soup, you name it, was donated by members in the community and none of it was bought with outside funding.

"Not a single penny is from the government. It's by the people, for the people," added Walia.

The challenge now is putting it all away. Best-before dates need to be checked on all the products, to ensure items that expire soonest are used first.

Thanks to the huge outpouring of generosity, the GNFB figured they now have enough food to help people for six to eight months.