Saskatoon group formed to help those in need gather supplies, get groceries

As Jordan Marcoux heads into a Saskatoon grocery store to gather the items for his very first delivery, he admits he might not know where everything is — but he’ll figure it out.

He’s one of the founding members of a Facebook group first called “COVID CARE YXE,”  which has now merged online with a Saskatoon group called “YXE Community Response COVID-19.”

The aim is to connect those who want to volunteer to help carry out simple tasks for residents — like shopping or buying much-needed supplies — then delivering them to those who can’t get out and do so themselves. There is no fee charged for the service.

In just a few days, membership has gone from a couple of dozen people to nearly 1,500.

Marcoux says he expects requests to pick up.

“I have a process right now that I’ve kind of sorted out,” he said. “I get a delivery (request) online, it goes to the email. It’s a very simple form to fill out. It’s information, what you need. It goes to me. Right now, the volume is pretty low … but I expect it to pick up, so I have a team of volunteers ready.”

Another one of those volunteers and group founder is second-year law student Austin Cooper. He too wants to help people get through what he describes as a tricky situation.

“A lot of other people have the same mind online, and we kind of put together the Facebook group that we now have,” Cooper said. “We kind of looked at Calgary and Edmonton and adopted their model in terms of having a Facebook group that facilitates discussion beyond just a delivery service we now offer.”

Cooper and the rest of the group make it clear that they are not a business, charity or a formal organization. They will be seeking advice, co-operation and collaboration with local organizations to streamline information and resources or supports through the group.

“I just wanted to see if there were some people that wanted to do some good things in this not so great time,” Cooper said.

In the meantime, Marcoux gathers onions, popcorn, candles and other items for his first delivery to the mother of three who can’t get out to shop. He explains that the mother will pay for the groceries upon proof of receipt when the order is delivered, either through e-transfer or cash.

Volunteers will make sure to disinfect their vehicles and to carry hand sanitizer. It’s all a work in progress. He cites a story he read online over the weekend about an elderly couple afraid to shop at a local grocery store as his motivation for helping create the group.

“That spoke to me,” he said. “If my parents were in that situation, or if my grandparents were in that situation, I’d want someone to provide help to them.”