It's a challenge that the Strathmore Fire Department is ready to take on.
The department is working with students from Holy Cross Collegiate (HCC) to see who can generate the most food donations and help feed the need in the area.
"The past two years we have beat the school, but the first year the challenge was if we won, they would come and clean the trucks for us, and if they won, we would cook them lunch," added Strathmore Fire Chief David Sturgeon.
Sturgeon joked that in the first year of the third annual event, they didn't make the students clean the trucks, but they still cooked them lunch.
Last year the crew cooked lunch for the students and also provided a ride in the ladder truck for a lucky participant.
In 2023 a total of 4667 lbs were raised with HCC and in 2024 that number was surpassed with 4735 lbs.
Around 2,000 bags will be distributed for this year's event.
"There was a gentleman that was graduating last year that two years in a row received the most donations in the whole entire school, so we drove him in our ladder truck to his grad as well," added Sturgeon.
The department is also partnering with Strathmore RCMP along with Family & Community Support Services (FCSS) to drop off bags at different neighbourhoods throughout the community starting on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 9 a.m.
"This year I think we're going to do the Strathmore Lakes, Westmount, kind of the downtown core, 2nd Ave to 5 Ave, and possibly the Aspen area."
Crews will then grab bags from the doorsteps of residents on Friday, Mar. 7 starting at 9 a.m.
"We take ours from the fire department first over to the food bank, they weigh them all, and then we go pick up the Holy Cross Collegiate, and they'll weigh that," said Sturgeon.
Residents can also drop off food at the fire hall in Strathmore from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week.