DAVENPORT, Iowa — As glimmering snow coated the ground across the Quad Cities this weekend, some glimmering holiday lights were making their way down the train tracks.
The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train, an elaborate moving light display that travels through Canada and the United States, stopped in Davenport for the 25th time Sunday night. The chilly winter weather didn't stop people from coming out, as hundreds gathered to watch the train's arrival.
"It's really exciting, I wanted to bring the family down," one onlooker said.
Not only does the rail company bring festive fun and live music to the towns it stops in, but it also makes donations to local food banks along its route. In Davenport, the CPKC donated $10,000 to Churches United Quad Cities, which services over 20 food pantries across the area and helps with 140,000 needs for meals in a year.
"This team-up has really been a blessing for us, really getting the food pantries filled up throughout the year," Eduardo Marquez, president of Churches United Quad Cities, said. "At least during this time, especially since the price of food and everything has gone up."
The check this year was bigger than ever — a move that the charity said they're incredibly grateful for.
"This is huge because Churches United relies solely on private donations and we do not take state and federal funding," Associate Director Betsy Vanausdeln said. The organization added that the need for food has been rising since 2015, going from 1.2 million pounds across the Quad Cities area in a year to 2.7 million pounds in 2022.
Since the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train started back in 1999, it has raised more than $22.5 million for local food banks across North America, including more than 5 million pounds of food. The train tours from Nov. 20 through Dec. 19.
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