Spruce Grove residents who came out to Canada Day celebrations at Jubilee Park on July 1, 2026, also had a chance to help their neighbours. The city set up donation drives for the Parkland Food Bank and Sport Central at the event.
Non-perishable food items and cash were collected near the information tents for the food bank. The food bank serves people in Spruce Grove, Stony Plain, and Parkland County. Alberta has the highest rate of food insecurity in Canada. About 1 in 4 people in the province struggles to afford enough food.
Used sports equipment was also gathered at the Pancake Breakfast that day for Sport Central. The Edmonton-based charity takes in gear, fixes it up, and gives it to kids aged 4 to 17 from families facing financial hardship. The group accepts equipment for more than 20 sports, including baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, golf, and bicycles.
The city listed the top seven items most needed by Sport Central: balls, gym bags, baseball gloves, youth golf sets, small hockey helmets, soccer shoes, and soccer shin guards. Residents were asked to bring only equipment in good shape.
Sport Central was founded in 1991 and has helped over 145,000 kids in Alberta and beyond. The Alberta government provided $400,000 in 2024 to Sport Central and Calgary Flames Sports Bank to make sports more accessible. The Parkland Food Bank continues to offer regular access to healthy food for local families, with a goal that no one goes hungry.
