Until six weeks ago, Elizabeth Watling didn't know where the Miramichi food bank was.
Then her minister gave a church sermon about a man who called him because he didn't have any food.
"I couldn't sleep that night," Watling said.
The thought of people in the area going without food stuck with her, so she called her sister-in-law to talk about it.
"Has there ever been a wide food drive around here?" she asked.
That was when her sister-in-law told Watling to call her minister and talk over the idea.
When Watling told her minister the size of the area she wanted the food drive to cover, he was surprised.
"If you can get volunteers to do that my hat's off to you," he said.
Her plan went into action Saturday as volunteers spread out across the region to go door-to-door and collect donations for the food bank.
But when Watling woke up Saturday morning, she saw the weather wasn't cooperating as the winter's first snowstorm hit the Miramichi.
"The good Lord has given me another challenge," she said.
Watling rose to the challenge and experienced the storm first hand when she went door-to-door in Bay du Vin.
None of the roads were plowed, her car got stuck twice and wind blew snow across the roads, she said.
"You couldn't see."
Even with the bad weather, Watling said she never thought she should stop because of it.
"I was bound and determined."
Ron and June Matchett were two of the volunteers who braved the weather to help with the food drive.
Some things can be cancelled, but people can't cancel eating, Ron said. "We persevered and went through the snow and knocked on doors."
Ron said the couple lived about 15 miles away and there were no plows on the road when they left home Saturday morning. "We had quite a drive out here just to get here."
June said some of the people they visited were prepared for the food drive and added some of them gave more than they should have. "They were pretty surprised we were out."
Watling said there were several volunteers who didn't make it out for the drive on Saturday, but they still planned to help.
"They're looking to go out at other times."
Miramichi-Bay du Vin MLA Bill Fraser was another of the volunteers out Saturday and although the blowing snow didn't keep him away, it did throw off his schedule.
Snow clung to Fraser's coat as he walked between houses and the SUV where he dumped bags of groceries on Church Street Saturday afternoon.
He had planned to start around 10 a.m., but waited for the weather to clear before heading out in the afternoon.
"It didn't clear," he said.
With the weather the way it was, Fraser said there were probably more people at home Saturday. "It probably turned out to be a good thing."
After hitting a few houses on one end of the street, the back of the SUV was already starting to fill up only a short time after he started.
Fraser said some of the people he visited had food ready in bags when he got to their doors.
"They're expecting us."
Volunteer Ginette Johnson said most people she talked to were willing to donate and she saw a positive response from the community.
"I think it's a good day to brave the weather because people are more likely to be inside."
Food bank coordinator June Somers said she hadn't expected to see the volunteers out in the bad weather. "I think it's amazing."
There wasn't much of a lull at the food bank as volunteers dropped off the food they collected and, at one point, had to leave it in the hall because the other volunteers couldn't put it away fast enough.
"That's a good thing," Somers said.
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