Bruce Springsteen shouts out Harvest Manitoba

A Manitoba organization got a shoutout on The Boss stage Wednesday night.

During his sold-out concert at the Canada Life Centre, Bruce Springsteen took a moment to praise Harvest Manitoba during his concert and encouraged people to donate to the organization that helps keep Manitobans fed.

“It definitely helped us raise a lot of money,” said Vince Barletta, president and CEO of Harvest Manitoba, adding that the shout-out from the stage was “pretty cool.”

The organization spent the day raising money at the concert and online, and ended up with $36,000. Barletta said the amount was a record for a concert they had raised money for.

“We know that Bruce Springsteen, the E Street Band, has been a long-time advocate for these types of issues, and they support food banks in many of the communities where they tour,” Barletta said. “I know organizations like Harvest Manitoba really appreciate the respect they give to the people who work here. And the fact that we can use that event to raise some extra money makes a big difference.”

Barletta said Harvest Manitoba has seen a 150 per cent increase in usage since the pandemic, and the money raised will be a huge help.

“It’s a great value that allows us to do our job and move more than a million pounds of food through our warehouse every month,” he said.