It's another sign the holiday season is approaching.

The team at Operation Red Nose La Broquerie/Steinbach held its launch on Friday and Coordinator Francois Grenier says with a team in St. Malo now coming into operation, they will be working with them to cover a larger area of the southeast.

"In the last six years we've been growing in numbers and we've also been growing in the number of volunteers and this year, we are growing in area," says Grenier. He notes for their team, the general rule of thumb is a ten-mile radius around Steinbach and ten miles around La Broquerie as well.

Grenier says they will be on the same schedule as St. Malo and offering rides for nine nights between November 30 and New Year's Eve. He adds they received a 15,000 dollar sponsorship from Trans Canada Pipeline, spread out over three years. He notes this helps them immensely when it comes to buying supplies and all the equipment required for their volunteers.

With the legalization of cannabis last month, Grenier indicates their service will remain the same. "We offer that service to people that are consuming cannabis just as much they're consuming alcohol or even tiredness. We offer the ride service without judgment to anyone that wants that service. We'll bring them from one destination to another as long as they've got a vehicle."

Grenier encourages anyone who is interested in volunteering, to visit the Operation Red Nose website and urges anyone who needs a safe lift home this holiday season to call 424-9555.