Ryan Nugent-Hopkins teams up with Amazon workers to score food bank donations

It's the busiest time of year at the million-square-foot Amazon warehouse in Nisku, Alta., but a visit from Edmonton Oilers left-winger Ryan Nugent-Hopkins brings the entire building to a standstill. 

Star-struck warehouse workers watched as the hockey player picked and packed orders, signed autographs and helped hand over a $5,000 cheque to both Food Banks Alberta, a provincial association, and the Leduc and District Food Bank. 

"The food bank obviously puts in so much work, does so much good for the community," said Nugent-Hopkins. "We're lucky to have them."

For decades, members of the Oilers have assisted with good causes. Amazon's relationship with the local food bank goes back a couple of years to when they opened the YEG1 fulfilment centre not far from the food bank.

General manager Doug Spirig said they help with "in-kind donations from the facility, plus we've been able to donate cash and give of our time as well."

Employees volunteered more than 1,000 hours of their time along with corporate donations of about 4,500 kilograms of surplus from the warehouse, said Spirig. 

"They're able to give us a list of items that are in need, something like diapers, food items, toiletries, anything that they can use to support the community."

Those items are put to use at the Leduc food bank warehouse at 6051 47th St. in Leduc.

The food bank serves a population of 100,000 people across seven municipalities in central Alberta. 

Tony Robinson, treasurer of the Leduc and District Food Bank, said the need has doubled in the past few years at the same time donations from the public have been down.

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