CALGARY -- A group of volunteers collected thousands of food bank donations Saturday in southwest Calgary.

The Calgary Marathi Association led the Evergreen food drive, which involved a drive-in system in and more than 100 volunteers.

"Despite the weather, despite the rain and despite the cold, we've got a huge turn out," organizer Francis Aranha told CTV News. "We've managed to collect around six tons of food. It's just awesome, knowing how many people and how many families we are going to feed."

Last week, the group passed out 8,000 empty bags to those in the neighbourhood. Saturday, volunteers drove back to those homes to collect donations.

They were then sorted and packed into larger boxes, which the association will be giving to the Calgary Food Bank.

Aranha said he believes the "tons and tons" of donations will go to a great cause.

Neel Marathe was one of an estimated 75 teenage volunteers.

"I decided to volunteer to set an example for the youth and to tell everybody that it's not about how old you are," Marathe said.

The Calgary Marathi Association is a group mainly comprised of Indo-Canadians looking to get involved in the community.

On Friday, many of the same volunteers were collecting food in the northwest.

Aranha said it brings the group satisfaction knowing they're pitching in.

"I think that's truly the best way of being Canadian: going out there, volunteering, and giving back to the community."