Carts were wiped down.

Maps of aisles were charted.

Social distancing was practiced.

And hand-sewn masks were donned just to be on the safe side.

Volunteers were not leaving anything to chance as they embarked on their mission early on Wednesday morning.

Their mission was simple: helping families in need have food on the table over Easter Weekend.

Drawn from the ranks of the Optimist Club of Aurora, this volunteer crew descended on No Frills last week armed with three things: two cheques of $500 to help families make ends meet by providing the essentials, and determination.

“About a month ago, the Optimists did a shopping trip of about $500 realizing there was a need here in Aurora,” says Sandy Bundy of the Optimist Club of Aurora. “We did a shopping of $500 and took it to the Aurora Food Pantry. Then we designated another $500 for the Food Pantry and No Frills, which has been a sponsor of ours in the past, donated another $500 for our shopping last week.

“First of all, we contacted the Food Pantry to see what they needed and learned they have had problems getting shipping from some of their suppliers. They just needed to have food on the shelves, so I got a list from the Food Pantry, went online and priced the best deals, gave everybody a shopping list, then we all met outside and picked our groceries.

“No Frills was amazing. Knowing we were coming, they had staff there at the front door, let us in, had carts ready for us and they were really welcoming. Russ, the owner of the store, gave us our $500 card and off we went.”

The Food Pantry's needs were the simple staples: milk, cheese, carrots, potatoes, apples, oranges, rice and margarine, along with soup and canned vegetables. But the Optimists went a step further, securing Easter goodies for the kids for an Easter that turned out to be anything but normal.

“We wanted to make sure Easter wouldn't be missed by them,” says Ms. Bundy.

The Optimist Club of Aurora's mandate is to work with youth, but they recognize the importance of families at this trying time.

“They are struggling and not having enough food will create a lot of stress, which makes it difficult on parents, as well as children,” she says. “We wanted them to not miss out on Easter, so we picked up some things that were kid-friendly and a bit of a treat on top of the necessities.”

The Optimists delivered their supplies to the Industrial Parkway-based food bank just after lunch on Wednesday, giving the Food Pantry enough time to have the products on shelves by the time clients came by to have food delivered to their cars or to a safe drop-off location on site.

“We're all trying to be useful and the Food Pantry has a huge need, so we're just really happy to help in some small way,” says Ms. Bundy. “It is going to take a lot more than what we were able to do. The Food Pantry said the food we delivered on Wednesday would all be gone by Thursday and that was just the $1,000 we brought in.”

For more on the Aurora Food Pantry and how you can help, including a list of the most pressing needs, visit aurorafoodpantry.ca or call 905-841-1577.

By Brock Weir