Charlottetown's 1st Care Fair to be held Saturday

Low-income Islanders and seniors are being invited to go shopping Saturday and they're being told to leave their wallets at home.

"We want everybody to go home with food and clothing and bedding and whatnot," said Betty Begg, the retired nurse who began collecting items for the Care Fair two months ago.

The goods now fill the back of one tractor trailer, and Begg hopes a second will be filled with food by the time the event is held at the Farm Centre in Charlottetown on Saturday.

"Somebody is going to be there doing animal balloons, there's going to be free haircuts, there's going to be music."

Throughout the course of the day, not a nickel will change hands, "just lots of love and kindness," said Begg.

Food drive underway

Some food has been coming in since Begg started the drive for donations.

But Islanders can help over the next three days by dropping off food at a trailer at the Sobey's on University Avenue.

Begg said there's a need for school lunch items and warm cereal for seniors.

"Our goal is to help that one in five children not to go to bed hungry and to help look after those seniors that maybe don't have families and such a little to live on. "

Any leftover food will be given to PEI Food Share, an organization that helps low-income Islanders bridge the gap between days when they are able to use the food bank.

The Care Fair opens at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Farm Centre on University Avenue in Charlottetown.

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