Whether you want to make some new friends, you really need a hot meal, or you just love food, a new group has formed in Weyburn to ensure everyone can enjoy a hot meal, take home leftovers, and connect people across all walks of life. 

Soul Food Potlucks was recently founded by Robin Jones, along with another Weyburn woman who asked to remain anonymous. 

Their first event will be held this Saturday in the Gazebo at River Park, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

"Food insecurity affects one in three Canadians and Weyburn is no exception," said Jones. "But it's such a giving community, we saw an opportunity for potlucks, but on a larger scale."

"It doesn't matter who you are, or where you're coming from, or what you're driving or any of that, but everyone is entitled to a hot meal and we saw the need and decided to do something about it. So that's kind of how the idea came about," she explained.

"The [other] woman reached out to me she noticed me donating a couple of hot meals a month. You know, if you make a pot of something and you've got so much, it's like, 'do I really want to eat chicken soup for five days and have the last portion go in the garbage, or do I want to see someone else benefit from this meal?' So I do that once or twice a month and she noticed me doing that. So she reached out and said, 'I feel called to work with you, and have you ever thought about doing this on a larger scale?' We became fast friends and our strengths complement each other."

"We just met a couple of months ago. And we started planning, and things started falling into place. So this is our very first kick at the can, our first attempt." 

Jones said bringing food to the potluck is not a prerequisite for attendance.

"You don't have to bring something in order to come, eat with us. We do have quite a bit of food donated at this point. More food is welcome, but we just want to see people come down and just inspire the spirit of community and inspire the spirit of giving." 

She said her own rancher family has lovingly donated 10 pounds of ground beef. So the base of the meal is burgers and hot dogs, and then we've got quite a bit of other stuff. We've got a bunch of salads, we're going to have meatballs and pulled pork on a bun. We've got a few people baking, so we're going to have lots of goodies for dessert."

"Our only policy is no leftovers. So we're hoping that lots of people show up hungry, bring the kids, bring a friend." 

Jones said they are advertising "bring a container and take leftovers", noting they are prepared for around 100 people. 

"We're hoping for conversation. We're hoping for a really friendly atmosphere."

She emphasized, that nobody is going to try to sell anybody anything at this event.

"There's no affiliation. There's no profit. There's no company to plug. It's just two people that saw a need for hot meals for sharing and decided to go for it on a larger scale. I hope there's lots of recipe sharing and just good conversation. And it's in the park, so the kids can play." 

She said they'll have water and iced tea available, but anyone can choose to bring their own beverages as well.

"We've been borrowing slow cookers, so we've got two power bars and about six slow cookers to keep the food hot, so we're going to be busy that morning. And then we're going to transport everything down there for lunch." 

Find the group on Facebook HERE

Jones added that anybody who is unable to get to River Park but wants a plate on Saturday can get it delivered, thanks to their amazing volunteers.