Generosity inspiring

The effort was Herculean and so too were the achievements. This past weekend, from Thursday at 2 p.m. to Sunday at 2 p.m., 20 young men set the world record for the longest wrestling match ever.

While they wrestled with that goal, they also took on the task of wrestling down hunger. They called the match Wrestling with Hunger, and challenged the community to bring food. They hoped to raised 2,000 pounds. They beat that goal, too, and they raised 3,021 pounds of food and almost $900 to help feed families in the Tri-Cities.

I want to express my profound gratitude to the 20 young men who took on the challenge to sheer exhaustion. Three drove in from Calgary and many had to devote holiday time to be a part of this event. I want to thank Dave Teixeira and his team, who have been planning this event for two years. Even on only six hours of sleep, he was as enthusiastic at the end of the event as he was at the beginning.

Also, thank you to all those who supported this event, including the City of Port Coquitlam, which donated the space, and those who dropped in at all hours with food and drink for the wrestlers.

Finally, a big thank you to everyone who came to the match with food and money to help the food bank.

I continue to be inspired and amazed by the generosity of the people living in the Tri-Cities.

Demand in the food bank is on the rise but with support from events like this and others, no one will go hungry.

John Wolff, Chair
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