Christmas is the time for giving and it's hoped a local, annual initiative will inspire people to do just that.
In partnership with the Parkland Mall, the Soup Haven kicked off its yearly food drive which helps to ensure there are no hungry residents in the city at Christmas time or otherwise.
"It's a very important program that's meant a lot to me since I've been with the Parkland Mall," said Richard Okrainec, mall manager at Wednesday's kick off event. "I think we all realize how important it is to feed people who are less fortunate... to collect the donations and to help that happen."
Up until Christmas there will be a table set up at the mall just in front of Zeke's Jewellers, where people can drop off both cash donations and nonperishable food items.
"I want people to realize that we are all partners in this," spoke Director of the Soup Haven Kathy Connors Wednesday. "It's not just one person running the Soup Haven, it's everyone in the community that does what they do to help out... we are so looking forward to what the community will do this year."
Conners says while the donation of food items is welcomed and encouraged as usual, this year there is an added focus on cash donations.
"We need cash in order to carry out our lunch program and that's where we often fall a little short."
The local lunch program feeds more than 300 children per day in Yorkton.
"The need is always there. There is a big segment of the population that we never get to touch called the working poor... they just don't come forward and say that they have needs. You would be surprised what your next door neighbor is going through for instance. Hunger does not have a face, any face can fit into the picture of hunger so we all need to remember that it takes a village to raise a child but it takes a city to raise people."
If we all pitch in to help others suggests Conners, it will improve everybody's quality of life overall.
"Yorkton has been so good at reaching out and I look forward to seeing the continuance of that," says Conners adding, a big thank you to all - including the Parkland Mall - who have helped out over the years.
