Operation Red Nose begins providing rides for holiday revellers in Portage la Prairie tonight.

It's an annual campaign to keep impaired drivers off the streets by driving them, and their vehicles home, for a donation to Portage Minor Hockey.

Coordinator Leo Lapointe says it's important to reduce incidents of drinking and driving.

"With the recent numbers that have come out with the RCMP, the numbers are really high, they're telling me. I'm hoping that Operation Red Nose's service in the Portage area will help keep that to where it is, or lower, and let's not have drinking and driving. Just leave the driving to us, when we are operating, almost every weekend until the end of the year."

Lapointe says Portage always steps up to help Operation Red Nose.

"It shows me the community likes to keep drinking and driving off the roads. And, even after the night is done, looking at the people leaving, smiles on the faces, feeling good that they were able to keep drinking and driving off the roads, and maybe save a life."

He adds Operation Red Nose will also operate on Grey Cup Sunday, from 4 pm until 3 am.

Lapointe could still use more volunteers, and urges you to get a free criminal record check at the RCMP detachment, then contact him.

Here's contact information.

204-239-5570 (Red Nose)  204-870-5151 (Leo Lapointe)