CALGARY, Dec. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - The 19th
annual Canadian Pacific (CP) Holiday Train has completed another
successful tour across North
America, raising more than just spirits this holiday season.
While final numbers are still being calculated, more than
C$1.5 million and 300,000 pounds of
food have been raised for local food banks and food
shelves.
The Holiday Train has now raised more than $14.5 million and 4.3 million pounds of food
since its inaugural journey back in 1999.
"The momentum we see in the Holiday Train from year-to-year
reinforces the good that we, and our partners at the food banks,
are doing across North America,"
said Keith Creel, CP President and
CEO. "Connecting with communities has been a theme for the CP
family this year as we celebrate Canada 150 and what a way to end 2017, with
more than 425,000 people across our network enjoying the magic of
the CP Holiday Train."
The 2017 CP Holiday Train was proud to feature an all Canadian
musical line-up with multiple Canadian Country Music Award and Juno
Award winners. The Canadian train featured Colin James, Emma-Lee and Odds until
Calgary, where Alan Doyle and the Beautiful Band jumped on to
finish the tour to the west coast. On board the U.S. train,
Kelly Prescott partnered with
Jim and Devin Cuddy between
Montreal and Windsor, Ont., and was joined by Dallas Smith and Terri
Clark through the U.S. Midwest and Great Plains.
Jonathan Roy anchored the
Quebec shows.
New this year, CP introduced an online train tracker so that
fans could see exactly where the trains were, allowing even more
people to connect with the spirit of the Holiday Train on both
sides of the border. The Canadian train also boasted the Spirit of
Tomorrow car, a railcar that was a part of the CP Canada 150 train
which travelled across the country this summer in celebration of
Canada's 150th. Crowds
were able to view the car, which is covered in notes written by
children across Canada, expressing
the dreams they have for their nation.
The CP Holiday Train program is not the only way that CP gives
back to food banks. CP also provides Food Banks Canada $250,000 worth of in-kind transportation services
to support its National Food Sharing Service program. Since 2011
CP's contribution has helped transport over 17 million pounds of
food and household goods to food organizations across Canada.
"We are always delighted when the CP Holiday Train travels
across North American communities and provides the platform to
speak about the need of healthy and nutritious food items at local
food banks," said Mimi Lowi-Young,
Executive Director, Food Banks Canada. "CP continues to play a role
in raising awareness of hunger-related issues and also supporting
Food Banks Canada in transporting food across Canada through our National Food Sharing
System."
As part of Canada 150, CP and
the Canada 150 Federal Secretariat
partnered to promote the Holiday Train and the conclusion of the
sesquicentennial celebrations.
The Capture the Spirit photo contest closes today and six
winners will each be awarded a CP prize pack including a ride on
the 2018 CP Holiday Train and a $1,000 donation to the food bank of their
choice.
Facebook /HolidayTrain
Twitter @CPHolidayTrain
Instagram @CPHolidayTrain
For additional information, photos, a route map and downloadable
pictures of the two trains, visit
http://www.cpr.ca/holiday-train
About Canadian Pacific
Canadian Pacific is a transcontinental railway in Canada and the
United States with direct links to major ports on the east
and west coasts, including Vancouver and Montreal, providing North American customers a
competitive rail service with access to key markets in every corner
of the globe. CP is growing with its customers, offering a suite of
freight transportation services, logistics solutions and supply
chain expertise. Visit cpr.ca to see the rail advantages of CP.
SOURCE Canadian Pacific