A Mennonite tradition focussing on food and family will be making its way back to homes for a good cause. 

Salem Foundation Executive Director Sherry Janzen and Coordinator Susan Hildebrant say they are selling Faspa-in-a-box for Valentine's Day, raising funds to buy new tech for Winkler's Salem Home residents.

"On Sunday afternoons we would have faspa at grandma's," Hildebrant says. "I guess it wasn't so much the idea of the faspa so much. As cousins, we would get together and those are the memories attached to the faspa."

They are hoping their boxes for two help create new faspa memories for others.

"The word is getting out," Janzen says. "We did have a lady from Calgary call in and she ordered three boxes."

Salem Home in Winkler, Manitoba is in need of an ABBY Board for residents living with dementia. They are looking to add one more board, helping people do activities such as driving to church and playing with cats from the other side of a digital screen.

They have had previous success hosting faspa. It is a Mennonite grazing-style meal made up of buns, pickles, cheese, cookies, and whatever else families wanted for a light mid-day Sunday lunch.

In the past, hundreds of people would attend Salem Foundation's faspa fundraisers, but this year, people can purchase the treats and send them to a loved one.

"There are a lot of people in this area that still do faspa on Sunday afternoons," Janzen says. "Look at the response Susan is getting just from the comments, never mind the actual orders, but the comments of 'it is such a neat idea' and it brings back memories."

The auxiliary group is anticipating a long and fun Saturday packing the boxes. So far they have sold one-third of their boxes.

Those interested can email the group at salemfoundation@salemhome.ca before Monday.