The Whistler Food Bank’s Foodworx drive and competition is quickly becoming an important summer campaign to help collect food, money and also raise awareness for the service and ongoing need.

While some food banks have Christmas in July campaigns, the Whistler Community Services Society’s (WCSS) food bank started Foodworx last year. As the name implies, the initiative runs during the Crankworx mountain bike festival.

“This is the only summer (campaign) that we do,” said Claire Mozes, WCSS program manager. “I can see it definitely being a major focus.”

From Aug. 11 through 14, volunteers staffed a Foodworx tent in the Village where people could stop by and donate food and cash, enter daily raffle prize draws, and learn more about the food bank and other WCSS programs. The space for the tent was donated by Crankworx organizers.

Foodworx also includes a workplace challenge, with staff members at local businesses competing to see which company can collect the most food and money.

Through both the tent and workplace challenge, a total of 3,000 pounds of food and more than $2,000 was raised during Foodworx 2010.

Mozes said the results “far surpassed” the donations from last year’s inaugural campaign. More food and money were collected, and more businesses took part in the workplace challenge — 15 this year compared to just six in 2009, she said.

With a huge lead on the other top four competitors, the Fairmont Chateau Whistler was crowned the 2010 Foodworx Champion after staff members helped collect 1,745 pounds of food and $1,000.

Haley Sims, human resources director for the hotel, said the Fairmont issued its own challenge to other hotels, advertised the competition internally to employees and set up two food drop-off areas. With the help of cash donations from the Fairmont Foundation and the Chateau’s staff association, cases of food were purchased from Costco to help increase the total pounds collected, Sims said.

The Chateau has long supported the Whistler Food Bank with a Christmas hamper contest among employees each year, she added.

Roger Soane, general manager, said giving back to the local community is simply part of the Fairmont culture.

“Part of our mandate as a company is to be involved in community events and the community as a whole,” he said.

Sims said part of what contributed to the Chateau’s impressive totals is the sheer number of employees at the hotel — more than 500 currently. But a lot of Chateau staff members genuinely like to help out, she added.

Second place in the workplace challenge went to the Delta Whistler Village Suites with 295 pounds of food. Other top achievers included Re/Max Sea to Sky Real Estate, Nicklaus North Golf Course, and Whistler Real Estate.

Mozes said total donations collected during Foodworx will cover about a month’s worth of food distributed to community members at the Whistler Food Bank.

Use of the service has been on the rise over the past year or more. The number of people who received food at the last food bank day on Aug. 16 was 55, which was actually down from July numbers of about 95 people per food bank day, Mozes said. Numbers are expected to increase again during the fall, she added.

The next Whistler Food Bank fundraiser is a wood chop where people can purchase firewood for the winter. For more info and to volunteer with the food bank, call (604) 935-7717.