MONTREAL — For the 17th consecutive year CP’s Holiday Train will be rolling through dozens of communities in North America raising food and cash donations for food banks across the continent.

Looking to “brighten communities and warm hearts” the two brightly lit trains began their journey in the Montreal area Nov. 27 and 28 and are now on their way to visit some 150 communities. The Canadian train travels west across Canada, finishing its journey in Port Coquitlam, B.C.

As always, the Holiday Train program is encouraging people attending events to bring heart-healthy donations. Heart health education and awareness is a tenet of CP’s community investment program, ‘CP Has Heart’, which focuses on improving the heart health of men, women and children in communities across North America.

There will be concerts aboard the train will notable musicians playing aboard including Kelly Prescott and Jim Cuddy. The concerts are always free but passengers are encouraged to make a donation to the local food bank, either a non-perishable item or a cash donation. All contributions stay in they community.

Here’s the schedule for the Canadian train – cpr.ca/holiday-train/schedule-canada. CP is also running a contest where people can win a ride aboard the CP Holiday Train and have CP make an $1,000 donation in their name to the local food bank or food shelf. For contest rules see cpr.ca/holiday-train/photo-contest.