As a salute to volunteers by the Cochrane Immigrant Services Committee (CISC) this week includes giving away daily prizes until Friday.

Yesterday (Apr. 21), the first draw for a gift card, donated by Mehtab East Indian Cuisine, that will be delivered to the winner's home.

CISC wants to recognize outstanding volunteers who assist newcomers during National Volunteer Week.

To enter, people are asked to submit the name of anyone you know who has helped their organization or have done any volunteer work with newcomers to Cochrane. Go to the Newcomers Cochrane Facebook page and under comments list the name of the person you wish to nominate, by including the first initial of their surname and spell out their last name.

CISC co-chair Sandra Scott says CISC has great volunteers.

"Cochrane as a whole has a great culture of volunteerism and we wanted to celebrate that, especially at a time like this. One of the reasons why we're getting through all of this is because we step up and help each other."

Jag Thind, of Mehtab, known for supporting numerous community initiatives, quickly offered to sponsor the meals.

"Volunteers are a big part of our community, and I like to volunteer in town as well," says Thind.

"To sponsor any kind of thing like this, I'm always here."

In addition, Mehtab has been offering free lunch box meals for pickup for those in need of a meal in these trying times. During the first two weeks, they had 10 to 12 people a day drop by. That number has dropped slightly in the last week.

They've also been delivering complimentary food to essential workers and first responders to show appreciation for their vital role.

"It's a great thing to see the smiles on their face once they see food. That's what being part of a community is all about."