South East Helping Hands is entering one of their busiest seasons as they prepare for several Thanksgiving food drives. “This is our biggest one. This whole fall time is when we have the most food drives. It brings in the most and it pretty much takes care of us till almost next June,” says Operations Manager Ken Dyck. The annual Fall Food Drive, presented by Steinbach Toyota, will take place on October 9 and 10 at Sobeys from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. Leading up to it, Superstore hosted a Jam the Cruiser event on October 3, and the Steinbach Pistons held their Thanksgiving Fall Food Drive at a recent game. Dyck adds that the youth food drive is also set to take place next week. Right now, shelves at the food bank are nearly empty, and Dyck says many nonperishable items are urgently needed. “We need cake mixes, crackers, cereal. I always harp on cereal. I think people are going to get tired of me and cereal, but it's gone. The girls got it ready for this Wednesday's food bank, and we're out. That's how much goes out in one shot. Then there is like Alphagetti, that type idea, stews. Then you can go to mixed fruits and cans. There are all kinds, tomato soup. We have lots of variety soup, but all of a sudden, we've got a shortage of tomato soup. And tomato soup you use in recipes and all kinds of different things.” He notes that hygiene products and baby items such as diapers and wipes are always in demand as well. Funding is another ongoing challenge for the organization. “Everybody else is going after the same dollar. I mean, some people say, well, they're always going after money. That's because we've got a lot of organizations doing the same things.” Dyck says there are fundraising efforts in the works, including a golf tournament and a “Burn the Mortgage” event. “We are that close to getting rid of it. We are going to have a big party to burn the mortgage. So, we're going to go after everybody to help us push that limit and we want to get rid of it. That way we don't pay interest on our loan.” He adds that when La Broquerie Helping Hands opened last year, it helped reduce some of the pressure on South East Helping Hands. But with the rising cost of groceries, demand is climbing again. “We brought it down to about 325 families every two weeks. We are pushing upwards again,” he says. “I got a funny feeling that before Christmas, we're very much at 400 again.” Despite the struggles, Dyck says the work is rewarding, both in knowing they are helping people and in building community connections. “I noticed it over the amount of years that I've done and all of a sudden, oh, these people aren't coming anymore. I meet them in the grocery store and they all chat to me, and some of them say, ‘We're back on our feet.’ Next time we get a cheque from some of these people, they come help out at a community Christmas.” He says one of the most meaningful parts of his work is helping children. “Summertime when school's off, I see the little guys a lot more. We give them freezies when it's a hot day. We give everybody water. I mean, we try to make it a fun time. Not that it's a bad thing to come to the food bank. If you need it, you need it, and that's why we're there. It's a helping hand. It doesn't feed you for two weeks, but it helps you.” South East Helping Hands encourages everyone to support local families this Thanksgiving by donating to the Fall Food Drive. With files from Carly Koop