The Wellesley and District Lions Club will be driving through the village Friday evening for an unconventional food drive. Instead of gathering in a central location, the Lions will be on the move, and instead of collecting food, they will be collecting cash to support the Wellesley Community Food Cupboard.

The idea of a foodless food drive was an out-of-the-box way to keep the club engaged and helping the community, said Lions member Laura Lightheart.

“We do quite a bit within the community. And obviously, with this year, because we can’t do a lot of hands-on stuff like we usually do. We’ve done everything from, purchas[ing] a wheelchair for a gentleman in town through to an ‘80s dance, and then we usually do Oktoberfest. So, we were just trying to brainstorm and think of ways that we could do something to give back, and this was about the best we could do with where we’re at right now,” she said.

Following the same route as the Santa Claus drive-by hosted in December, a handful of Lions, including their mascot, will gather funds to support the food cupboard in town using a bucket hanging on a hockey stick to ensure safety measures are met.

“So it will be only a handful of us going through town, obviously with safety precautions in place. It was more just trying to find a way that where we normally would do our fundraising and try to think out of the box.”

Expectations for Friday evening’s event, which begins at 7 p.m. outside of the fire hall, are uncertain, but hopes remain high.

“I’m hoping that it will be good – we have good expectations. Once they hear us, I think people will tend to come outside,” said Lightheart, noting they will most likely have music playing so people can hear them one when they are on their street.

Those who live outside of the village are recommended to e-transfer funds to the food cupboard rather than drive into town due to the pandemic and crowding concerns – e-transfers can be made out to office@wellesleymennonite.ca, with ‘food cupboard’ in the notes/description section. The event is weather permitting; however, donations can still be made even if the event cannot run.

The Wellesley Community Food Cupboard supports 28 adults and 60 children within the community. Due to the pandemic, the organization’s focus has shifted towards monetary donations, as to help keep the transferring of goods safe, the group has begun focusing largely on the grocery gift card program.