It has become a local holiday tradition. After a Thursday of Thanksgiving feasting and football and a Black Friday shopping marathon, folks head to the train station to greet the CP Holiday Train. The Holiday Train with its 14 LED-lit railcars will pull into the Saratoga Amtrak Station at 7:20 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26, Canadian Pacific announced yesterday. This is the 18th year CP has sent their trains of light through Canada and the United States to entertain and to collect donations for local food pantries.
The Holiday Trains stretch approximately 1,000 feet and are decorated with thousands of colored LED lights. Specially designed open boxcars serve as a stage for live performances with free concerts held at each stop. This year, Canadian country artists Kelly Prescott and Doc Walker will perform at the stops in New York.
“We are proud of the role the Holiday Train plays,” E. Hunter Harrison, CP’s Chief Executive Officer says in a press release, “but more importantly, we’re proud of the people and families that come out year after year to help their neighbours. They’re the reason we keep bringing the train back.” The CP Holiday Train program’s mission is to raise awareness of hunger issues in the U.S. and Canada.
Spectators are encouraged to donate food items and make monetary donations at the Train stops. CP recommends the following heart-healthy food donations:
- Grain Products – whole grain bread, brown rice, whole wheat crackers, bagels, hot & cold cereals, granola bars, muffins
- Vegetables & Fruit – canned fruit and vegetables, 100% fruit juice, tomato sauce, canned soup, tomato juice, applesauce, fresh (if storage available)
- Milk Products – dry milk powder, milk puddings, cheese spreads, fresh milk, yogurt, & cheese (if accepted)
- Meat & Alternatives – canned meat & fish, peanut butter, canned baked beans, dried or canned beans and lentils
Food and money are distributed to local food banks by CP. Since the program has begun, the Holiday Train has raised nearly $9.5 million and collected more than three million pounds of food to benefit food pantries in North America.
CP Holiday Train New York State Schedule
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