Author: admin

October 17th, 2020 marked the pick-up day of our FIRST pre-made meals for seniors, and it rolled out absolutely wonderfully! Turkey Dinner was the meal available which came with turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables, stuffing, a bun, and dessert. All individually prepared meals are $5.00 and we successfully packaged and sold 135! This day would NOT have been possible without an incredible, hardworking, and compassionate crew of people and I would like to personally thank the following:

Our Volunteer Cooks, Meal Preppers, and Packagers: Diana Verhage, Corrie Verhage, Manda Harrop, Karen St. Pierre, & Bev Melvin.

A special thank you to Greg Cretin, a professional meat carver who graciously volunteered his time to carve all 6 turkeys!

We thank Lynne Frerrichs and Angelia Harvey who coordinated meal orders, made calls, and supported the set up and launch of this meal program.

Also, a special thank you to Angelia Harvey who delivered meals to those who were unable to drive or wasn’t able to make it for pick-up.

Lastly, a very special thank you to Sharon Harvey and the Cherryville Community Food Bank Society who spent months planning and working together to see this vision come to fruition. With the positive feedback we have already received from seniors, families, and community members, this is clearly a need for our community and we are beyond excited to be able to offer this service. Most of the food was donated by the Cherryville Community Food Bank, some was donated by Dolman’s and without everyone who showed up to support us, this would not have been possible.

From the bottom of our hearts….Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

As a reminder, if you would like to specifically donate to this service, all funds go back into the meal program itself. Simply click the Donate Now page and make a special note at the bottom as to where you would like your donations to go (for example: $20 to purchase 4 meals for seniors; $50.00 towards food costs, etc.) and we will ensure your donation request is honored.

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new meal program for seniors! Any senior residing in Cherryville area who is 65 or older can purchase a pre-made meal for $5.00. Fresh meals can be picked up the same day as they are made, otherwise all meals are frozen and can be picked up at a later date. All proceeds go back into the program to further support our local seniors.

October 17th, 2020 is the First Meal Day!

Turkey Dinner – comes with turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, steamed carrots, bun and a dessert. Call Lynne Frerichs at 250-547-6540 to place your order!

Are you interested in sponsoring a senior to receive meals? Use the donate option to purchase meals for a senior, just make a note in the comments section and we will use your donation to provide meals to seniors in need. A $50.00 donation is the equivalent of buying 10 meals!

We have so much to be thankful for this year and we cannot wait to give back to our community through this exciting new program for seniors.

In 2016 we teamed up with Lake Country Food Bank and established the “Network of Sharing” in which we have connected nine different food banks that we can distribute food to when we receive large quantities of food. This reduces food waste entering our landfills, a national issue that has major environmental effects, as well as puts more food directly into the hands of community members, programs, activities, and events. Inspired by this partnership, we reached out to collaborate with Nakusp Food Bank who supports five rural communities between us. With safe transport of perishable items being the largest obstacle, we successfully sought and secured funding through Food Banks BC to purchase a refrigerated truck. We are now delivering fresh vegetables, fruits, breads, dairy products, and any other food/household goods we receive in excess that they are willing and able to accept. Extending this network of sharing concept into the Kootenay region has proven to be a positive impact for all communities involved as well as reducing the environmental impact of excessive waste entering our landfills. Our commitment to this social cause has resulted in this expansion of our food bank services, directly contributing to our mission of promoting healthy living and food security while reducing waste.

This program is funded by Interior Health through the Community Food Action Initiative grant.

Lennon Adkins was hired in the summer of 2020 to help with the development, maintenance, and harvest of this years Community Garden. He has been hard at work alongside Peter and Renske, who have graciously dedicated a piece of their land for the establishment of this garden. Our Community Garden continues to be an incredible resource, providing fresh, organic produce that goes straight to our residents. There has already been roughly 500 lbs of  food harvested and distributed to local residents and we are only half way through the season. Not only has the Community Garden contributed to our mission for increasing food security but also provides educational and employment opportunities to our local youth.  Peter and Renske could not be better mentors and Lennon has proven to be an incredible young man, a very hard worker, and a wonderful student to work with.

This summer student position is funded by Service Canada through the Canada Summer Jobs program.

We are absolutely speechless by the continual support we are receiving from organizations both locally and provincially. We would like to formally thank you Food Banks BC, Dairy Farmers of BC, North Okanagan Regional District, Kamloops Okanagan Dairy Association, and the Safe Seniors Strong Communities through United Way of the Lower Mainland. You are a major reason why we have been able to continually support our community despite the hardships and obstacles prevalent from this global pandemic.

We cannot express enough the deep gratitude we feel. During these uncertain times, it is the love and support and generosity of others that help communities thrive and we have been fortunate and honored to receive an abundance of support from our local and provincial organizations.

The Cherryville Community Food Bank thanks all of you, from the very bottom of our hearts, as we are able to expand our reach within our community and surrounding areas to those who are at risk and to those who need this support more than ever. Thank you.

Are you interested in donating to Cherryville Community Food Bank but arn’t sure what your donation goes towards? See below for the impact you are making on the Cherryville community with every dollar you donate to our food bank:

$10.00 –  provides 25 kids at Cherryville Elementary with a milk for the School Milk Program

$50.00 – provides 20 lbs worth of food that is distributed among food bank recipients

$100 – provides sponsorship of one Angel (one child) during our Christmas Hamper and Gifts event

$500 – the cost of 2.5 trips of fully stocked refrigeration truck to surrounding rural community food banks

$1000 – allows for 57 hours of work used towards the operations of the food bank and providing services to the community

With your support, we are able to make a huge impact on our community and surrounding areas. There are many different ways that you can support Cherryville Community Food Bank in addition to making monetary donations. We accept food donations that are then distributed among hampers, we are always looking for new volunteers who want to make a difference in the community, and we appreciate personal fundraising efforts. A personal fundraising effort may include making an honorable mention to our food bank so others are aware of our organization and the services we provide or could include making a Facebook Birthday Fundraiser where funds go to the Cherryville Food Bank as one of our seasonal volunteers, Bea Bauer, recently did.

We are beyond grateful for those who have supported us and continue to support us especially during these difficult times as COVID-19 has led many families into extreme financial hardship. Our doors remain open to support our families in crisis, and it is because of you that we can do this.

Thank you for your commitment to the Cherryville Community Food Bank, we appreciate your support.

A message from the President of Cherryville Community Food Bank Society:

Well I am sad to say our little food bank is affected by Corona. We must stop our Thursday operations until further notice. If you need food please contact Barb and we will arrange pick up. 250-260-0562 or myself at 250-547-6646.

The Cherryville community may be small in numbers, but it is BIG in giving!

Every year we have tons of supporters who make this day possible, starting at 6:00 in the morning and ending around 10:00 at night, families and individuals are given Christmas Hampers and Gifts. What initially started as a very small community service in 1971, this was the foundation that the Cherryville Community Food Bank Society started on…49 years ago, wow! It has flourished into a beautiful community building event where we support one another and ensure our people are taken care of during the holiday season.

Thank you to all the volunteers that support us each and every year, to donors who give so generously, and every person, group, and organization who make this service a possibility.

Behind the scenes in Food Bank Building, getting organized!

Volunteers from all ages, kids to seniors, giving back to our community together!