Members of the Kanata tech community gathered Oct. 12 at the Kanata North Business Association Community Hub for Techtoberfest, an event to raise funds for continued tornado relief and celebrate some of the companies instrumental in relief efforts so far.
More than a hundred people came from companies in the technology park to enjoy the brisk Friday afternoon at the Hub on Legget Drive behind the Mitel building. Live music played while people mingled, joined by mascots from Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group.
Dylan Samuel, chair of the Kanata Food Cupboard, thanked the KNBA, local councillors and Kanata North companies for their efforts after the tornadoes that struck Ottawa Sept. 21. He said more than 5,000 pounds of supplies were donated to the cupboard in support of families affected by the disaster.
Among the companies honoured for their contributions with certificates and Redblacks tickets were Martello, L-Spark, Entrust Datacard, Huawei, Prontoforms, Fidus and Eclipsys.
“Thank you for being part of the solution,” Samuel said to the crowd, who gathered with food from local food trucks and drinks from Kanata’s Big Rig Brewery as well as FarmGate Ciders.
Councillor Marianne Wilkinson thanked the food cupboard for their work after the tornado.
“The food cupboard always steps up,” said Wilkinson. “It’s part of the culture of Kanata to get out there and help.”