08/13/2026
The Story Behind Cram the Cruiser in Edson 🚓❤️
We thought it would be helpful to share a little history about how Cram the Cruiser came to be in our community and how it has grown over the years.
Cram the Cruiser has traditionally been run as a toy drive in many communities across North America. When we started discussing the idea in Edson, we wanted to make a change. We saw a greater need for food donations in our community, particularly for children and families, so we decided to make food the focus.
Because we have an RCMP member who is also one of our Rotarians, we decided to join forces. The RCMP and Rotary Club of Edson work together to make Cram the Cruiser happen here. While Cram the Cruiser is often organized solely by police services, we believe more hands are better than one!
How it started
We started small.
Our first Cram the Cruiser focused only on elementary schools. At the time, more elementary schools were operating breakfast programs, and we wanted to make sure the food donations could have a meaningful impact. We also didn't know what kind of response we would receive from the community, and we didn't want to spread the donations too thin.
The community of Edson responded with overwhelming generosity, so we ran the event again the following year, still focusing on elementary schools.
Growing with our community
By our second year, we had received so many generous donations that we felt we could expand the program. We were able to include middle and high schools within the Town of Edson as well.
Then came our third year — and once again, the generosity of Edson exceeded our expectations! With the help of fire department members, peace officers, we received more donations than we could physically "cram" into the cruisers. 🚓🥫
Because of that incredible response, we were able to extend some food donations beyond the schools in Edson and extended donations to Fulham school as well.
This year, we are expanding Cram the Cruiser once again to include two grocery store locations.
That means we anticipate receiving even more donations to allocate to the schools and community organizations we support.
We are incredibly grateful — and honestly, deeply warmed — by the generosity of the Edson community. ❤️
What started as a small idea has grown because people in our community continue to give, volunteer, show up, and find ways to help.
A huge THANK YOU to our volunteers, the RCMP, Rotary Club of Edson, fire department members, peace officers, school staff, grocery store partners, and all the volunteer first responders and community members who give their time to make this possible.
We truly believe that more hands are better than one, and Cram the Cruiser is a wonderful example of what can happen when our small community works together.
Cram the Cruiser: Where Do the Donations Go? 🚛🥫❤️
We’ve received a few questions about how Cram the Cruiser donations are distributed, why some schools are included while others are not, and why the Food Bank also receives donations. We wanted to provide some clarification and transparency about how the program works.
How are the donations divided?
Food and monetary donations collected through Cram the Cruiser are divided proportionally based on the number of students at each school.
This means a school with more students will receive a larger portion of the donations, while a school with fewer students will receive a smaller portion. This allows us to distribute donations as fairly and equitably as possible based on the number of children being served.
Why wasn’t our school included? We’re also part of GYPSD.
We understand that GYPSD covers a large geographic area and that every school and every community could benefit from additional food donations.
Cram the Cruiser is organized within the Town of Edson, so schools located within the Town of Edson are included in the event. This includes schools that are not part of GYPSD, as long as they are located within the Town of Edson.
Last year, we were also able to add Fulham as a side donation because we had volunteers available to help, including the principal, who volunteered to coordinate and pick up the donations.
Unfortunately, we cannot feasibly organize and distribute donations to every school and community throughout the entire GYPSD area. We recognize that the need exists in many communities, but our event must remain within an area that we can realistically coordinate and support.
There are many wonderful Rotary groups, RCMP members, nonprofit organizations, and community groups throughout the GYPSD area that may be willing to work with schools in their own communities to organize a similar event.
If you would like to see something like Cram the Cruiser happen in your community, we encourage you to reach out to local organizations, consider volunteering, and help organize an initiative to support your local schools and families.
Why does the Food Bank receive donations? They aren’t a school.
This is another important part of how we make sure donations are put to good use.
Sometimes we receive items that schools cannot use, or we receive an overabundance of certain items that schools simply don't have the storage space for. We also want to avoid food going to waste because it may expire before it can be used.
Rather than letting those donations go unused, we can redirect them to the Food Bank, where they can still benefit people in our community.
The Food Bank also can provide food directly to families who are experiencing food insecurity or need additional support. This helps ensure that the food gets to the people who need it most.
Our goal ❤️
Our goal with Cram the Cruiser is to support local children, families, and our community while making responsible use of every donation we receive.
We recognize that there is a need in many communities, and we wish we could provide donations to everyone. However, there are practical limits to what we can collect, organize, store, and distribute.
We are incredibly grateful to everyone who donates, volunteers, helps with pickups and distribution, and supports this initiative.
Every bag of food and every dollar donated makes a difference — and we are committed to making sure those donations go where they can do the most good. 🚛🥫❤️
