La Broquerie Helping Hands is inviting the community to experience what it's all about at a grand opening.
"We've been running for over a year, and we've been in our locations since October. But now we're actually being able to officially celebrate with this grand opening ceremony," says Jocelyn Gauthier, a member of the food bank's board.
The ceremony will take place on May 7 at 210 Principale Street from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and will include a free hot dog and drink for attendees.
Those who come are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for a food drive.
Gauthier says the event is meant to be a time for community members to meet the food bank's board, volunteers, go on tours, and experience how the organization operates.
"Just to see how much food we actually go through in a month or every two weeks... For example, in one week, we might hand out 80 boxes of cereal or even 240 cans of goods," she says.
It's remarkable for her to think of how far La Broquerie Helping Hands has come.
"It actually started with the idea of doing a hamper delivery service. People in our community were in need of hampers, but they didn't have the means to pick them up," Gauthier explains, noting they partnered with Southeast Helping Hands to open a satellite location.
"Now we are completely on our own with our own location," she says, adding the amount of support from the community and businesses has been a whirlwind.
The foodbank started out serving about 40 families she says. Now, more than 90 make use of it.
She says its been a privilege to watch these families become more comfortable using the food bank and build personal connections with them.
Working with the other board members, volunteers, and community has also been a pleasure, Gauthier says.
"We do rely solely on community support and generosity," she says. "Of course we're always looking for food. Like right now we are completely out of canned fruit."
A list of needed food items can be found at labroqueriehelpinghands.com, as well as information on volunteering, or donating funds.
Written with files from Carly Koop