BY DAN MCNEE
EXPRESS SPORTS

CLIFFORD – For some, nothing beats a Saturday of curling with friends.

And if that Saturday of curling also brings in fundraising dollars for a worthy cause, so much the better.

The Clifford Arena was a busy spot on March 2, as area curlers comprising 16 teams took to the ice for the fifth annual Foodgrains Bonspiel. Organized by Clifford resident Lorne Underwood, the event was once again a big success, bringing in $2,000 for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. The Canadian International Development Agency will also be matching that total four-fold.

“It’s not a me-me attitude here at all, it’s a win-win,” said Underwood. “It also enhances the curling here in Clifford.”

The Canadian Foodgrains Bank was established in 1983 to allow farmers to share their harvests with Third World countries in an effort to end hunger and starvation. Partnered with 15 Canadian churches and church-based agencies, the Bank also educates the people in these countries about irrigation and farming tactics, malnutrition and AIDS.

Underwood himself has made two missionary trips to Eastern Africa, and knows first hand just how much Third World countries depend on the charity of others.

“It was very overwhelming,” he said. “It just brings you back to how we are the luckiest country in the world.”

“We have things they can’t even imagine. It’s a very humbling experience.”

For more information on the Canadian Food grains Bank and the services it provides, visit www.foodgrainsbank.ca.