While Halloween will be a joyous time for kids to collect candy, it will also be a night when residents can support their less fortunate neighbours with food donations.
Hillcrest Apostolic Church and the Moose Jaw and District Food Bank are teaming up again for the 18th annual Better Together Food Drive, which takes place Tuesday, Oct. 31, from 5:15 to 9 p.m.
The event kicks off at the church — 1550 Main Street North, adjacent to the Heritage Inn — and moves to the Moose Jaw Exhibition Grounds for sorting and packing. Those items will then be shipped to the food bank.
Canvassers are encouraged to arrive at Hillcrest Church at 5:15 p.m. to check in, find their team, and start collecting food. Volunteers are encouraged to dress warm and wear their best smile during the evening.
Nearly 450 volunteers in teams of eight to 10 will fan out across the city to pick up food along 40 routes. They will return to the exhibition grounds around 7:15 p.m. to assist the sorters already there.
If residents cannot go door to door but still want to help, they can sort food or drive a vehicle for canvassers.
Visit www.hillcrestmj.com/fooddrive to register or volunteer, or call the church at 306-692-5600. People can register as individuals or as teams.
Homeowners will receive a bag marked with the Better Together Food Drive logo. If they don’t receive one, they can pack food in a box.
“We are very excited. Last year was our first year back in person after two online years due to COVID,” said organizer Daycee Richardson. “And we had a really great comeback. We were amazed — people were just as generous as ever.
“So we’re excited for this year because it will be back to normal, as far as things are run,” she continued. “And the needs of the food bank have risen dramatically in the last few years, so we know (the food drive is) needed more than ever.”
In 2022, Moose Javians donated 44,043 pounds to the food drive, which translated into nearly 50 pallets. Richardson noted that it was easier last year than in previous years to deliver the food by semi-truck because the food bank had moved into a new — and bigger — location at 270 Fairford Street West.
“We’re hoping for a similar response (from residents) this year,” she said, adding non-perishable items are always needed, especially since food costs continue to rise. “I know that (the food bank) is getting excited about it, too.”
Hillcrest Pastor Steven Atkins appreciated how the event combined residents’ generosity with an organization that regularly supports the community. Organizers love what the food bank does and love how Moose Javians rise to the occasion every All Hallow’s Eve by filling bags and leaving them at the door.
“It’s a real testament to the people of Moose Jaw,” he added.
Hillcrest Apostolic Church has existed as an organization for 100 years, while the Better Together Food Drive has been around for nearly 20 years — or one-fifth of the church’s existence, Richardson pointed out. So, that event is a “big piece” of the church’s history and partnership with the food bank.
It’s great that this partnership has lasted so long, while Hillcrest has also had other long-standing relationships with groups such as Joe’s Place Youth Centre and has helped host its Voltage New Year’s Eve Party for 19 years, said Atkins.
“They keep meeting a need,” Richardson added. “The need is still there.”
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