NEW BRUNSWICKERS CAN HELP HUNGRY PEOPLE AND FAMILIES ACROSS THE PROVINCE WITH THE PROVINCIAL FOOD DEPOT ALIMENTAIRE – ALL FOR THE PRICE OF “A CUP OF COFFEE ONCE A WEEK” WITH THE POTENTIAL TO WIN ONE OF THE SIZABLE WEEKLY 50/50 GOLDRUSH JACKPOTS.
The Food Depot Weekly 50/50 Goldrush Draw has been an important fundraising activity since 2013, raising over $5.3-million for people in need. With proceeds from the draw, the Food Depot Alimentaire supports 62 food banks across New Brunswick, along with numerous regional soup kitchens, shelters, crisis centres, after-school programs and school breakfast programs.
“This draw is a real example of people helping people and the magic of what can happen if everyone gives just a little,” says coordinator Donna Eagles.
“For the price of a cup of coffee once a week, this draw helps us help hungry people of all ages, and all personal situations, by providing support. The more money this draw brings in, the more it helps us feed people in need.”
It also represents a potential financial windfall for people who participate in the weekly draw. The rules are spelled out in detail online, but here’s essentially how it works:
- Register to play at one of the participating retail partners in Southeastern NB or register yourself online at www.FDA5050.ca. You will be assigned a ticket number that remains with you. Although additional tickets for any draw can be purchased to increase your chances; a minimum $2 ticket purchase is required each week to be eligible to win half of the Goldrush jackpot. Your ticket will be in play every week unless you request that it be removed from the draw.
- At the start of each weekly draw, one ticket with your ticket number on it will be entered into the draw as well as any additional tickets you have purchased for that draw.
- On draw day, a ticket is chosen using a random number generator and it is identified via the 50/50 Goldrush automated software if that ticket number was purchased that week.
- If it was purchased, the player associated with that ticket would be a winner and collect one-half of the Goldrush Jackpot.
- If it was not purchased, then the player associated with that ticket would be a non-winner and the entire Goldrush Jackpot would roll over to the next week.
- The process then repeats itself the following week.
With weekly jackpots now totaling over $100,000, it doesn’t take long for Goldrush jackpots to grow when there is a roll-over – perhaps even as much as the highest-ever $414,170 in July 2021.
The draw is every Wednesday at 1 p.m. and it’s never been easier to buy tickets. You can still register and buy tickets at one of the participating retail partners throughout Southeastern New Brunswick, however, the draw recently moved online at www.FDA5050.ca.
“It’s exciting,” says Eagles. “Some of the players have been playing since we started nine years ago, and many of them were asking to be able to purchase tickets online since the beginning. It can sometimes be inconvenient to go to the store to purchase a ticket every week. This option also allows residents throughout New Brunswick to participate.”
Winners are posted every week to the FDA’s website and Facebook, and on the screen of terminals where tickets are sold throughout southeastern New Brunswick.
The draw is meaningful to people who rely on the province’s food bank network, but a 50/50 Goldrush win can also greatly impact the lives of people who take part in the draw.
“You could imagine if you won [that much money], tax-free,” says Eagles. “It’s going to make a difference in your life. It would help you pay off your bills, maybe pay off your mortgage, or just give you a fresh start. It’s going to do some good things for your family.”
