This year's Fall Food Drive is starting up for the season

The Fall Food Drive is starting up again and this year around 13 local churches are involved. 

Kyle Penner from the Grace Mennonite Church says this year is a little different than past years, as they have a new group joining in on the Fall Food Drive. 

“What makes this one a little bit special is that we’ve invited the Steinbach Mosque to join us, so we’re going to have to rebrand it from the church youth groups to the religious community youth groups.” 

Every year, the youth in Steinbach come out to collect food for the Fall Food Drive, and they always get pumped up about doing it. 

Penner says it is actually one of the highlights of the year for many of them. 

The youth groups are going to try stopping by every house in Steinbach and in Blumenort. 

“We’ve broken up the whole area into segments, and so each church is picking a night, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday next week, and every house should receive a piece of paper in their door this week saying which night your house is going to be collected at.” 

This allows people to buy food ahead of time and be prepared for when the kids will to pick it up. 

He says if you are not home, or even if you are home that night, you can put the food on your doorstep. 

“That way we can just pick it up and not have to knock on your door and ask for it. It’s kind of a win-win situation. We’ve done this thing for a few years now, and we collect probably about double the food in half the time. So I think it’s working for everybody.” 

Penner shares a way to make donating to the Fall Food Drive fun for the family. 

“My favourite thing is I go to the grocery store in advance before they come to my house, and I think ‘what’s on sale?’ but also ‘what’s the most heavy and awkward item I can make the teenagers carry?’ I love giving them 20 to 40 pound bags of rice.” 

You can donate non-perishable food items such as soups cans, cereal, vegetables, and rice. 

He says that a good rule to follow when donating food is to donate food that will last, and that you would eat or feed your family.  

“It is a little slogan in church youth group: we don’t want junk for Jesus. If you wouldn’t eat it, don’t give it, but if you would eat it then give it.” 

Last year they collected upwards of 10,000 pounds. 

Penner says they are glad to help in this way, but it’s also just a good learning experience for the kids in the community. 

“We’re very happy to teach our children that when we have an excess of food in this world, that our first foster should not be to build a bigger wall, our foster should be to build a bigger table.” 

He gives a big pre-emptive thank you to the community for working together to make sure everyone has enough food this Thanksgiving season. 

With files from Corny Rempel

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