After some COVID-19 interruptions the last couple of years, the CP Holiday Train returned to Estevan this past weekend with some timely donations.

CP Rail provided the Estevan Salvation Army with $4,500, and the salvation army also collected $1,440 in cash at the train stop near Affinity Place, along with 600 pounds of food.

"Like all of our donations that come in, this kind of money is going to go to help keeping our food bank shelves full, it's going to help us with our student lunch program...that's something where we've partnered with two schools here in Estevan, and we're helping some local families have some healthy lunches for their kids," said Ronza Reynard, the Community Ministries Director with the Estevan Salvation Army.

"We were just excited to have the train here in person, and be able to see it live. Just having things come back around, doing things again this year that we weren't able to do in years past, just makes for a better Christmas season."

Reynard said the community support this holiday season has been tremendous.

"We don't have numbers yet, because we've still got a couple of days to go, but the supports have been great, and I hope to have a total by Christmas Eve," she said.

"We just want to say thank you, we just feel so blessed that people are coming and helping us."