Ed Sheeran contest nets 8,000 lbs of donations for food bank

All Austin Spence wants for his tenth birthday is to meet Ed Sheeran.

As it turns out, the pop musician is playing SaskTel Centre on Spence’s big day Sunday night.

Spence’s mom Latara, along with siblings Owen and Amellia, helped him get closer to his goal by giving $1,000 in food Thursday for the C95 Fed by Ed contest.

For every bag of groceries donated to the Saskatoon Food Bank and Learning Centre, people were given entries into a draw for VIP Sheeran concert experience – including a meet and greet.

For his $1,000 worth of food, Spence netted 228 entries into the draw.

“We went door-to-door in the Silverwood neighborhood asking people for food donations,” he said, adding that win or lose, taking part in the contest made him a better person.

“It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.”

C95 announced the winner Friday morning as 21-year-old Ashley Lucyshyn, who made multiple donations as part of the content.

Pint-sized Sheeran fan Spence still got part of his birthday wish, as C95 gave him a pair of free tickets.

All told, the contest brought in 8,535 pounds of food and more than $1,700 for the food bank.

Heather Bonynge with C95 said she was overwhelmed with Saskatoon’s generosity.

“The people of Saskatoon are amazing,” she said.

“It wasn’t just about winning Ed Sheeran’s meet-and greet for people, it was truly about helping the community.”