Holiday Train to raise $1.4 million, CP says

Canadian Pacific's Holiday Train program is on track to raise more than $1.4 million and more than 300,000 pounds of food for food banks, the railroad announced last week.

CP's Holiday Train
Canadian Pacific

CP's annual Holiday Train collects donations of dollars and food on its annual trip across Canada and the northern United States. This year's 23-day trip resulted in record crowds, with company officials estimating total attendance of 450,000 people, according to a CP press release.

Since its start in 1999, the train has helped raise more than $12 million (in Canadian dollars) and 3.9 million pounds of food.

This year, Holiday Train organizers encouraged attendees to consider healthy options when donating food. Heart health education and awareness is a tenet of CP's community investment program, CP officials said.

"Every year, CP's train of lights provides a platform to speak about the needs of North American food banks. This year they helped drive the message home not only about ongoing needs, but the ability for individuals to raise levels of health in their community by reaching in their cupboards for healthy donations," said Katharine Schmidt, executive director of Food Banks Canada.