The Pioneer Days Parade in Steinbach will take place Friday, July 29 at 10am, and as they have for the past 15 years, volunteers at South East Helping Hands Food Bank will be collecting donations.

Operations Manager Susan Braun says their shelves get quite low at this time of year, so they are counting on the generosity of the community for this food drive. “Our shelves are looking kind of bare so now we need to fill them up. Usually, our biggest food donations that come in are Drive Away Hunger, Christmas and Pioneer Days.”

Braun says they will be in the parade pushing their shopping carts, and carrying pails. “So when you see us give us a holler and we will take your donations and put them in the cart.”

New this year, Braun says they will be collecting cash donations, so anyone that forgot their food items can still participate. She says they are collecting a variety of food items like juice, canned vegetables and fruit to pancake mix and cereal."

Braun adds, there are more than 20 new families using the services of the food bank each hamper day, and over 200 families that use their services each month. Braun notes, more than half of the people relying on the food bank are children.