Vancouver is known for a lot of things when it comes to hockey. Waving white towels in mock surrender. Running goaltenders out of town. Hosting Canada's only Olympic gold medal victories on home ice and responding poorly to Stanley Cup losses.
A dedicated group of Vancouver residents are now helping people across the country think of something else: charity.
Back in 2010, a group of college buddies inspired by the impromptu street hockey games that sprang up around the city during the Winter Games decided to go on a cross-country road trip to see if they could harness Canadians innate readiness to pick up sticks and help raise funds for local food banks. The inaugural Five Hole for Food tour was such a success it has since become an annual event and a well-oiled fundraising juggernaut that last year raised more than 133,000 pounds of food through games at 13 different cities. The Vancouver stop alone raised 43,000 lbs of food - the equivalent of the entire 2011 tour.
"I love that we've been able to turn something that started four years ago that definitely was never intended to become what it has today," said founder Richard Loat, 24, over the phone from Calgary. "It's been exciting to see it develop into something that I think is going to be around for a long time to come."
He pointed out that food banks traditionally see the majority of their donations come in around Christmas, so it is especially gratifying to see the fruits of the latest team's labour going straight to people in need.
"It's great knowing that the food that we raise will be going into a hungry stomach probably the same week or the next week... Especially since the summertime is the off season and people still want to come together around the sport and turn that passion into action."
The team - which this year sees Malcolm Ross, Alex Konyves, Yvonne Yuen, Nicole van Zanten and Jay O'Byrne joining Loat on the road - hopes to raise a total of 250,000 pounds of food, which Loat admits might be a bit overambitious.
"Hitting that mark may be a stretch for us, but even if it's just one pound of food more than before, it's a success."
The campaign, which sees the group travelling by a donated charter bus and promoted entirely by social media, has also benefited from endorsements from such disparate high-profile Canadians as George Stroumboulopoulos, Dan Mangan, Bif Naked and Jim Treliving, not to mention local NHL stars like Roberto Luongo, Trevor Linden and Kyle Turris.
"The hockey community really respects those players and what they do, and I think to have them endorse our cause only serves to inspire and amplify the support that we get from fans that obviously love this game," he added.
The Granville Mall strip will once again be turned into makeshift ball hockey rinks this Saturday (July 20) from noon until 6 p.m. when the Five Hole crew rolls into town for their final stop. People who want to watch or play are invited to bring hockey sticks, non-perishable food and/or cash donations. Contributions can also be made online at fiveholeforfood.com.
afleming@vancourier.com
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