A train covered in holiday lights and carrying musicians will make a stop Friday at St. Paul's Union Depot and several other spots around the Twin Cities this week, with a goal of gathering food and donations for those in need.

In an annual holiday event, Canadian Pacific Railway sends the railcars across the U.S. and Canada, encouraging people to attend the free boxcar-based concerts and festivities, and to bring donations of nonperishable food or cash.

What people give stays in their local community, according to the company.

Other stops in Minnesota include Cottage Grove, Hastings and northeast Minneapolis. The full schedule is available at cpr.ca/holiday-train/schedule-united-states.

Performers will be Home Free, an American a cappella country band, and Canadian country rocker Kira Isabella.

The train has stopped in Cottage Grove for more than a decade. Donations gathered there go to Friends in Need Food Shelf, which serves Cottage Grove, Grey Cloud Island, Newport and St. Paul Park.

The annual holiday train will stop in the Twin Cities this week.

Last year about 15,000 people attended the Cottage Grove event, which featured Sheryl Crow and was touted as the largest in city history.

People gave $142,480 and 23,202 pounds of toiletries and food, according to the city.

Jessie Van Berkel