Ron Gray rides his horse in local parades. In this one, his “unlicensed assistant,” daughter Skyler, rode along on her bike.

Food bank drives are a winter tradition across Canada but few people deliver their donations like Ron Gray, a sales rep at Sutton Group – West Coast Realty in Port Alberni. Using his own horse and wagon, he delivered 400 pounds of apple juice to the town’s Shaw Cable office building.  Through the Fill the Foodbank drive, Shaw Cable and Campbell’s Company of Canada matched donations pound for pound.  Gray’s donation tripled to 1,200 pounds by the time it reached the Salvation Army Foodbank.

 “My family and I just love living here in the valley. When we moved here four years ago, we were made to feel really welcome,” says Gray. “It was amazing how many community and family events happen here. I believe in giving back. All those sayings, ‘what comes around goes around’ and ‘you reap what you sow’ are so true.”

Combining his love of country living with his real estate business was a natural fit for Gray.  When his horse isn’t delivering juice, his trusty sidekick joins him at parades and other events where he often thrills children by giving them free, guided rides.  As a volunteer member of the Beaufort Gang, Gray stages train robberies each summer for the tourists. This October, he hosted his first annual client appreciation pig roast.