Riverside Mission has put out a call to the public, letting them know that their food supplies have almost run out.

That prompted local business owners Alan Didkowski of Al's Auto Service and Dyllan Avinou of Moose Movers to donate $500 each to the mission. They also challenged other local businesses to match or exceed that amount.

"Al initially had the idea and he figured he'd get me on board," explains Avinou. "Then I thought, 'Why don't we try and include a lot of other businesses and see if we can get everybody giving towards this.' It's our city and we're all in this together. We just hope that everyone takes the same initiative."

Avinou says it's important to him to support causes that give back to those who are the most vulnerable.

"The Riverside Mission is a really, really cool place. What we are giving to them is actually going straight to the table. There's no CEO's or corporate interests taking money off the top."

The challenge has already taken off with numerous other local businesses committing to the effort.

Joe Miller is the executive director of the Regina-based Souls Harbour Rescue Mission, which manages the Riverside. He says that their food supply has varied a lot throughout the pandemic but that the months of July and August are always difficult to get through.

"As we've navigated COVID, it's been an up and down cycle. There have been months when we've had a surplus of food and have been able to share that with other organizations and food banks. But then there's been the low spots and right now it seems like we've hit a trough where our food and cash donations are drying up."

Miller adds that their cupboards and freezers are getting pretty bare. During the recent hot weather, they've also been giving away more bottled water, which can cost a lot.

"It's about $600 to go out and buy a pallet of water and you can go through that pretty quickly. So that's another donation that we could definitely use."

Their numbers are also climbing here in Moose Jaw, and Miller estimates that they feed upwards of 90 people a day. He says he's incredibly grateful to see the local business community step up and help.

"It's fantastic. I was comparing the response in Moose Jaw to the response in Regina. It's not a contest but Moose Jaw is definitely outperforming Regina right now," chuckles Miller.

The shelter is particularly in need of ground beef, hams, pasta, rice, potatoes, carrots, and other staples that they can use in a variety of meals. If you want to donate food supplies or produce, you can drop them off at the back door of the Riverside Mission at 40 Manitoba St. East.

If you prefer to donate by cash, you can call 306-543-0011 or give online.