MOOSE JAW — On Halloween night, it won’t just be young goblins and ghouls prowling the streets but also hundreds of volunteers going door to door collecting donations for the food bank.
On Thursday, Oct. 31, Hillcrest Apostolic Church will be holding the 19th annual Better Together Food Drive, which aims to support individuals and families who use the Moose Jaw and District Food Bank.
Canvassers will meet at the church around 5:20 p.m. on All Hallow’s Eve to rendezvous with other members of their team. Once all volunteers have arrived and checked in, the campaign will begin at 6 p.m., with teams driving around Moose Jaw collecting bags, boxes, totes and other containers of food.
When the campaign ends, volunteers will return to the exhibition grounds around 7:30 p.m. There they will assist other volunteers with sorting food onto pallets that are then wrapped and prepared for delivery to the food bank.
To assist in the campaign, the Moose Jaw Express has included a dedicated brown paper bag bearing the logo of the Better Together Food Drive, which residents can pre-fill and hand to — or leave for — campaign volunteers when they arrive at the doorstep.
“Many people who come out know the drill,” said co-organizer Karen MacNaughton.
So far, about 200 people have signed up to hit the streets, which is a great number to have nearly two weeks before the event, she added. However, organizers would prefer to have nearly 400 volunteers to ensure that the food drive is successful and that canvassers aren’t driving longer than they should.
There is slightly more urgency with this year’s food drive because of how much the food bank’s usage has grown, said co-organizer Daycee Richardson. , many residents are still finding it difficult to make ends meet month to month and require assistance.
“We were actually just looking at the numbers (and) the food bank’s capacity has grown in the 19 years we’ve been doing this,” she continued.
, while in , the co-organizer pointed out. That 50,000 pounds usually represented half the food handed out in a year, but it now represents about 14 per cent of what is given out annually.
“So Moose Jaw keeps being generous, but there is also more and more need,” Richardson added.
Some important non-perishable food items that residents should consider donating include canned goods, cereals, pasta, sauces, baby food and anything that they would normally eat.
“Look for the sales (and) what’s on sale,” laughed MacNaughton. “We know that that 40,000 to 50,000 pounds of food that people give now costs a lot more than it did a decade ago.”
MacNaughton has helped with the campaign since 2007 and always finds it to be “a thrill,” while it never grows old or boring. She is always impressed with residents’ generosity whenever she goes door to door collecting food.
Sorting the food is exciting because the exhibition centre is “a happy little beehive of workers,” while organizing transportation to deliver the food is also interesting, she added. Overall, every aspect “is a delight.”
“We look forward to this every year,” concurred Richardson. “It’s one of our favourite things to participate in and to really get to see people come together.”
Both thanked the many sponsors who help, since the event wouldn’t be possible without them.
To volunteer, visit or call the Hillcrest Apostolic Church at 306-692-5600.
