The annual food and clothing drive at Southland Church in Steinbach looks different this year. This is the 15th annual giveaway, but organizer Grace Hiebert says COVID-19 has forced them to make changes.

In past years, on the day of the drive, the Church would open its doors early in the morning and offer food hampers and free clothing. Hundreds of people from across the province would walk into the auditorium that day and see mountains of clothing up for grabs. But, because of the pandemic restrictions, organizers have had to make adjustments.

Hiebert says they are splitting up the two components. The food drive will take place on Friday, October 16th from noon to 7 pm. Anyone needing a hamper is invited to drive or walk by the Retreat Centre at the southwest entrance to Southland Church. There will be parking lot attendants directing traffic.

Hiebert says they have prepared approximately 1,200 hampers this year, but really do not know how many people to expect.

"Because we're not doing a complete event this year, I think it will be more local," she suggests. "We think we might give out more hampers to local people."

Hiebert guesses each hamper is worth $25 to $30. The contents have all been donated. In some cases people have gone out and filled hampers, while others have been packed thanks to monetary donations. She notes the hampers include such things as a bag of rice, fresh fruit, loaf of bread, chips, pasta, pasta sauce, soup, canned meat and baked beans. Some hampers also have frozen chickens.

"We are just looking forward to helping people and showing kindness," says Hiebert. "That's what we want to do is show love and kindness to people and we're looking forward to giving them a hamper."

As mentioned, the Church will still be offering free clothing this year, but not as part of the food drive. Hiebert says they have been collecting clothing donations for the last month and will be opening a Community Clothes Closet, beginning next week. Starting October 19th, the Community Clothes Closet will be open on Mondays from noon to 8 pm. The Community Clothes Closet can be accessed through the back of the building by walking through the Chapel entrance.

"We have clothing of all sizes from babies all the way up to adults," explains Hiebert. "We have jackets and clothing and boots. We don't have household goods but we have lots of clothing."

Hiebert says they have set a limit of ten clothing items per person. No appointment is necessary.

According to Hiebert, this year's giveaway has again used the help of volunteers. Whether it is the hundreds of women who helped put together the hampers, the dozens of students who placed apples in bags or those who sorted through clothing and helped with the folding, she says a lot of people gave of their time to make this possible.

"We love people," says Hiebert. "We're thankful that God has blessed us, we want to bless others."