Calgary Food Bank: Gorst Drives Chucks to Raise Food Bank Funds

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwire - March 30, 2012) - The 2012 Rangeland Derby Canvas Auction is over and everyone at the Calgary Food Bank is excited and thrilled. Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP Law Firm (BD&P), as Friends of the Food Bank, have purchased the tarp of champion chuckwagon driver, Gary Gorst for this year's Put the Boots to Hunger fundraising campaign.

2012 marks the fourth year of BD & P's Put the Boots to Hunger, which sees BD & P's investment in the tarp for Put the Boots to Hunger multiply exponentially into fundraising dollars for the Calgary Food Bank. The tarp is donated to the Food Bank to be sold to participating day sponsors each night of the Rangeland Derby to generate a substantial net profit. In addition to the chuckwagon canvas initiative, last year, more than 75 individuals, organizations and companies across Calgary held Stampede-themed food drives and fund raising events to contribute to the Put the Boots to Hunger campaign. In 2011, Put the Boots to Hunger raised over $546,000 for the Calgary Food Bank.

"BD&P LLP Law Firm is thrilled to partner with Calgary Food Bank for the 4^th year at this year's Rangeland derby" said managing partner Gary Bugeauld. "Through the sponsorship of these wagons we have raised over 1.2 million dollars for the Food Bank. We are looking forward to another successful fund raising campaign during the centennial Calgary Stampede."

"I am honoured to be teamed up with the Calgary Food Bank for the 2012 Calgary Stampede; we are hoping that this will be a very successful venture for the Food Bank," said driver Gary Gorst.

Gary Gorst: BIO

Gary started driving at 15 years of age. 2012 is be Gary's first year on the WPCA Pro Tour. He was the 2010 CPCA Champion driver, was the CPCA's High Point Driver three of the past four years, and qualified for the GMC Rangeland Derby's "Semi Final Saturday" in 2010. He won the CPCA's Bruce Bremner Award for the Most Consistent Barreling Outfit in 2010, received the CPCA's Chuckwagon Family of the Year Award in 2005, and has qualified for the winner-take-all final for the CPCA Championship the past six consecutive years. He has won 13 show championships in the past 5 years on the CPCA circuit, including wins at the CPCA Prairie Racing Series, Yorkton Dodge CPCA Classic and the Saskatoon Exhibition Derby in 2011. While driving two wagons on the 2011 CPCA circuit, Gary posted 34 top ten runs including five first place runs and fourteen runs that cracked the top five. He placed inside the top ten overall at all eight stops on the 2011 CPCA circuit and placed his second wagon inside the top ten at five stops as well. Gary finished no worse than 3^rd overall in the CPCA standings in the past six years., and will run with the World Professional Chuckwagon Association starting in 2012. Gary and his wife Janice have three children - Logan, Dustin, and Jenalee. Gary just retired as the Supervisor of Operations for the Department of Highways and Transportation in Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan.

This release is transmitted courtesy of Marketwire.