SUDBURY -- A Sudbury family that owns five Tim Hortons franchises is helping to make sure people don't go hungry. Since mid-March, the MacKenzie family and the coffee chain have donated worth $25,000 worth of soup that is distributed by the Elgin Street Mission.

When the pandemic started, the Elgin Street Mission became short of a weekend cook so, Tim Hortons and the Mackenzie family stepped up to help out.

"(It) translates into 6,500 servings of soup. That truly is soup for the soul of Sudbury," said Gerry Lougheed, the chair of the food fund at the Elgin Street Mission.

The soup is served every Saturday.

"We picked chicken noodle soup because it's healthy and it's wholesome and it feels like home. So it hopefully brings 220 people happiness and a little bit of warm stuff in your tummy," said Marian MacKenzie, a Tim Hortons franchisee.

Back in March, the demand was at about 150 soups every Saturday. That has now grown to 220, showing more people are counting on the Elgin Street Mission to help them.

"At the beginning of the pandemic, we did see those numbers spike quite high. Over Thanksgiving, we served 278 people. That's been the most ever in the 32 years of the Elgin Street Mission," said the mission's pastor, Amanda Robichaud.

And it seems the hot chicken noodle soup is something many appreciate.

"We do try to do a warm meal during those colder winter months. So as that colder weather moves in it's important to have that warm bowl of soup. It's like a hug," said Robichaud.

The MacKenzie family and Tim Hortons plan to keep giving well into the New Year to help meet the needs of people struggling with food security.