Food donations are already coming in as a part of Coach4Food 2016.

The initiative has changed a bit with Tom Hedican stepping back from the program.

This year teams will collect food and monetary donations and bring them to the North Bay Food Bank.

Chair Katharine Strang says the North Bay Battalion are offering up three on ice practices to the teams that collect the most food.

There will be practices for one house team, a competitive boys team and a competitive girls team.

Plus, there will be a draw for a suite during a Battalion game in 2017 with a pizza party and some Battalion give-aways for the kids.

Strang says all of the teams taking part will be put into a draw for that prize.

Meantime, a city-wide food drive is taking place on December 18th with players and coaches fanning out across North Bay to collect food donations.

Also that day the scheduled Battalion game will be designated “Food Bank Day” with donations being accepted.

Strang says Coach4 Food is the North Bay Food Bank’s largest sole donation each year and typically stocks their shelves for three to four months into the new year.