The Soup Haven receives generous donation from Yorkton dealerships

The Soup Haven in Yorkton received a donation from local car dealerships to help provide bagged lunches for children in schools.

Yorkton’s Key Auto Group presented The Soup Haven with a generous donation, which will go towards helping children in need.

“The community has been so good to us, and we’re very fortunate,” said Marilyn Dyck, The Soup Haven’s program director. “We could not do [the food distribution program] without the community’s support in any way, they’ve just looked after us for years and years.”

For them, it’s the 27th year of providing bagged lunches for children in need. It was the first time donating to The Soup Haven for Yorkton’s Key Auto Group.

“The local community supported the Key Auto Group throughout the years, and we just feel it’s really important to give back to everyone and help everyone out, especially during the Thanksgiving season,” explained Joseph Ortinsky, the group’s general manager.

The group raised the funds through sales. For every used vehicle sold at one of their dealerships between Oct. 1 to Oct. 12, they donated $250 to the food program.

“There was a lot of families who really needed a good meal for Thanksgiving, and we just decided to give back this year,” he said, after presenting the organization with a cheque for $4,250.

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Dyck said donations like theirs support local children and families in need.

“Unfortunately, our numbers are increasing,” she told CTV News at the program’s headquarters on Allanbrooke Drive on Friday. “I understand that families are having a hard time paying bills and everything, and [the] cost of groceries have just gone up.”

Luckily, The Soup Haven enjoys the community’s support when it comes to donations, as businesses and residents both chip in.

“We’ve heard so many times that people have come back and said, ‘I’ve been on your program, and I just want to give back to you,’” Dyck said.

Other than the Key Auto Group’s donation, The Soup Haven just completed their food drive where they partnered with three Yorkton schools.

Dyck and The Soup Haven, which is run by four part-time staff members, are optimistic and are already looking forward to the holiday season.

“Usually at Christmas is when we probably get most of our giving, and with the post office just starting up again, that helps,” she said smiling. “If there’s no post offices going, we don’t get anything coming in.”

The Soup Haven accepts cash donations and food items alike. Donors can pick up receipts after their donations at The Soup Haven building.

“Nut-free snacks are probably our major thing, and fruit cups, puddings, granola bars, rice Krispie squares,” Dyck explained, adding that unfortunately they cannot take homemade food items due to regulatory restrictions.

After the short cheque ceremony, the staff was back at work immediately, preparing next week’s brown bags for children.