Can Man Dan braves elements to collect donations for Edmonton’s Food Bank

December 22, 2024 Canuck

Collecting one bag of food at a time, Dan Johnstone doesn’t want Edmontonians waking up hungry on Christmas Day.

The volunteer known as Can Man Dan says he makes the effort to collect donations for Edmonton’s Food Bank, no matter how cold it may be outside, because he finds it fun – and he likes to “do it right.”

“It really encourages people to come out and think about others,” he told CTV News Edmonton on Sunday.

Johnstone is aiming to collect 50,000 pounds of food for Edmonton’s Food Bank. It’s a service he’s used in the past while being raised by a single mother.

“We didn’t have a lot of money and so we struggled, so without people like the food bank to help us out at Christmas and stuff, we wouldn’t have any extra food or Christmas dinners or anything like that.”

Can Man Dan began his mission on Friday at Belmont Sobey’s in north Edmonton.

For the past 14 years, he’s camped out in front of Sobey’s locations regardless of the weather.

“I’ve done this in -40 C, no joke. That is no fun doing it, so when I get these nice, balmy, plus temperatures, this is great.”

Earlier this month, Edmonton’s Food Bank said it’s falling behind on donations for its holiday campaign.

One can at a time, Can Man Dan says he’s determined to help live up to his name.

Sieg Bressmer of Edmonton’s Food Bank said his support is “phenomenal.”

“Without him, I don’t know where we would be,” Bressmer told CTV News Edmonton.

Can Man Dan’s campout ends at 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve. He is also collecting money online.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti

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