Another record-breaking year for the 21st annual Cans for a Cause.
109,717 non-perishable food items were collected, as well as $43,609 in monetary donations.
Every December, AM800 News, 93.9 Virgin Radio, Pure Country 89 and CTV Windsor collects non-perishable food items and monetary donations.
These donations are given to the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, who has seen a 216 per cent increase from 2022 to 2023 for those needing to use the food bank.
While many in the community stepped up with large donations, Campbell's - best known for their soup products - have donated over 1,888 cases of non-perishable food items.
Bernie Amlin, Treasurer of the Windsor Essex Central Council with Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, says it was an awesome day.
"The money is going to come in handy for us to be able to buy the food that we run out of during the year servicing the people. It's just so important to us, the cash, not to even mention all the cans we received - we're going to fill up our shelves again, so it's awesome!"
Jennifer Wilson, Food Security Chair of the Windsor Essex Central Council with Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, says they're able to help those in need.
"Our motto - help us help others. This is proof that this whole city, the whole region, just comes together to help us with our mandate to help those who need us."
Dan MacDonald, AM800's Host of the Dan MacDonald Show, says it's wonderful to see the goals surpassed each year.
"People bringing in cans in droves, schools coming together - one school brought in 16,000 cans - which is unreal. So the fact that we have broken that goal again, and smashed that record, it's just so much gratitude, and I know it's so much hard work paying off, and it really speaks volumes to who we are as a community."
Chris Byrne, Afternoon Drive Host of Windsor's Pure Country 89, says Saint Vincent de Paul is seeing the need grow tremendously.
"It's not necessarily that we just want to set this big record to hold the big cheque, and pat ourselves on the back, it's that there is a need in the community that the Saint Vincent de Paul has presented to us, and I am blown away every time by people stepping up to fill that need."
Last year, over 60,000 non-perishable food items were collected, and nearly $42,000 was raised.
