Cherryville Food & Resources Food Bank News Christmas Hampers & Gifts Event

Christmas Hampers & Gifts Event

Tis the Season! We have been busy planning, organizing, and collecting items for this years Christmas Hamper event for our Cherryville residents. If you, or someone you know, could benefit from a Christmas hamper this year, please reach out to Sharon Harvey at 250-550-6646 or drop in to the Resource Center and pick up an application from either Michelle or Amanda. Hamper pick ups will be December 17th at the Cherryville Community Hall, all individuals will be provided a time slot after registration is complete. *Deadline for submissions is December 8th!

If you are not familiar with this program, each year around Christmas time we provide an extra large hamper to individuals in need along with Christmas presents for any children part of this program. Although Christmas time can be filled with excitement and wonder, it can also be a very stressful time of year and a real financial burden. We have been giving back to our Cherryville residents to try and alleviate those Christmas stressors for well over 40 years now!

Are you looking to donate or help with this event? There are a few different ways you can support our families at this time.

Annual Angel Brunch – this is a wonderful time spent together in community, sharing great food and even better conversation! Come hang out at the hall with us for some friendly banter and socializing. Everyone is encouraged to bring a brunch item and an unwrapped gift for a child to be used for our children in need at Christmas time. We will accept everything, small stocking stuffers to larger presents, all is welcome! When? Friday, November 25th at the Cherryville Hall from 10:00am-12:00pm.

Angel Sponsorship – our “Angels” are symbolic of every Cherryville child registered for a hamper. We work closely with Cherryville Elementary School where the kids complete Santa Wish Lists that we can then find a few items to include as Christmas gifts. Every angel card for sponsorship includes details about the child you are sponsoring (except the name as the identity of our children remain confidential) and some suggested likes and dislikes.

Christmas Bazaar – Cherryville Community Food & Resource Society will have a table set up at the Christmas Bazaar along with “Angels” in need of sponsorship. We will have homemade baked goods for sale where all proceeds go toward funding our Christmas Hamper and Gifts event. If you would like to sponsor a child or donate money toward sponsorship of a child, this is a great place to do it. Or, instead of giving money we are welcoming any homemade baked item that we can use for sale at the Bazaar. Please drop any baked goods off to Sharon Harvey at 412 Sugar Lake Rd by Saturday, December 3rd.

Thank you to all the incredible volunteers we have, the outstanding staff, and to this beautiful community who continues to give and support our residents year after year with such love and compassion. Cherryville is truly unique and we are beyond blessed to call this our home.

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Donating to the Cherryville Community Food BankDonating to the Cherryville Community Food Bank

 

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.

We’re Hiring! – FilledWe’re Hiring! – Filled

FOOD BANK FLOOR MANAGER

Position Summary

The Food Bank Floor Manager oversees weekly operations of the Cherryville Food Bank, which includes communicating and networking with community members and organizations, coordinating and supervising volunteers, sorting, and breaking down food, computer and clerical work, driving the food truck, and basic housekeeping of the food bank building.

Education, Training, and Experience:

  • Any experience in a manager type role is an asset
  • Working on a team and performing duties as a team player is required
  • Familiar with Cherryville area is preferrable
  • Knowledge and experience of working in the food industry is an asset
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build strong, collaborative relationships
  • Technical skills (computer savvy, able to use excel and word, etc.)
  • Valid BC Driver’s License and clear driver abstract
  • Satisfactory Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector
  • Must have up-to-date food safe

Work Performed

Duties and Responsibilities for this position include:

  • Managing all aspects of food security services (monthly hampers, weekly drop-ins, stocking community fridge, Christmas hampers event, Community Garden support, working collaboratively with Senior Meals staff)
  • Managing food orders through established partnerships (i.e., NFSS, partner food banks, etc.)
  • Utilizing/maintaining food bank equipment (freeze drier, walk-in fridge/freezer, food truck)
  • Scheduling and coordinating volunteers to carry out specific tasks and responsibilities
  • Networking and working collaboratively with local stakeholders to grow food bank services
  • Requires physical ability to move, pick up, and stack heavy boxes
  • Tracking and reporting (maintain call log, compiling data, taking notes/records, etc.) and checking in with ED/President on regular basis, providing monthly reports and sharing data
  • Confidentiality Agreement must be signed and adhered to. CCF&RS has a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination and/or breaking confidentiality, upholding privacy of food bank recipients is critical
  • Must adhere to COVID-19 guidelines, policy, and protocols

Hours

This is a part-time position, consisting of 17.5 hours per week at 21.00/hour (includes MERCS). Thursdays are typically Hamper days and remaining hours may be flexible outside of food pick up times with our partner organizations.

Qualified applicants are invited to submit resume with at least two references by email to:

Meghan Derkach, Executive Director at meghan.derkach@hotmail.com

We thank all applicants for their interest in this position, please note only the applicants under consideration will be scheduled an interview.

Job Opportunities for Youth in Rural Areas by Haylee BennettJob Opportunities for Youth in Rural Areas by Haylee Bennett

Living in a rural area makes it difficult for youth to find work. There are not many job opportunities when living in Cherryville and other remote towns. Unless you have a reliable ride to and from town, where there are many job openings for younger people, then it is difficult to find work. With the lack of job availability in rural towns, youth are not able to gain work experience that is essential for their future. The Canada Summer Jobs Program helps create more job opportunities. They target work suitable for the youth population, and work to teach them about their rights as an employee. This has made a huge difference for the youth in our community, providing job openings suited for them.

This summer, myself (Haylee Benet) and Senay Thompson were employed with Cherryville Community Food & Resources. Having youth as part of the team brings new perspective and ideas to the organization. It is important for the next generation to gain proper work experience, and learn important skills needed to be in the workforce. Senay has been working with Renske in the community gardens since May. They have been cultivating the garden and have been able to supply an outstanding amount of produce for the food bank. Each week there is a large assortment of fresh produce to give out with hampers, cultivated by Senay and Renske.

In an interview I conducted with Senay, she expressed that she is very grateful for this job opportunity close to home. She feels she has gained important work experience for her future. Senay has learned how to apply for a job, and now feels confident for future job application processes. Communicating with her coworkers and boss has helped her build workplace communication skills she will continue to use throughout her life. Senay has had a wonderful summer maintaining the community gardens with Renske and is thankful for the experience in the workforce she has gained.

My name is Haylee Bennett, I just graduated and have had an amazing summer, learning workplace skills before heading into future careers. At Cherryville Community Food & Resources I have been helping with food hampers, social media, and the senior’s meal program. Every week I help Barb build and hand out food hampers, as well as keep the food bank clean and organized. I have also helped keep our social media up to date and have worked on various projects for our webpage throughout the summer. For the senior’s dinners, I help prepare and distribute the meals to seniors in our community. Towards the end of the summer, I started going to the Lake Country food bank to learn about food recovery. I have been going twice a week and have gotten to learn the processes involved in food recovery, which we hope to incorporate into our organization!

Overall, I have been able to gain a great deal of work experience with this job. I feel more confident in my communication skills, learning from involvement in the community and communicating with my coworkers and supervisors. Going through the job application process has prepared me for future careers and I now feel more confident than ever moving into the workforce. I am very grateful for the opportunity to work with Cherryville Community Food and Resources this summer, and I am very thankful for all the important skills I was able to practice for my future!

 

Hi, my name is Haylee Bennett! I am 18 and just graduated from Charles Bloom Secondary School this year. In the future I would like to become an RMT (registered massage therapist). I am currently working to save money for the course and hope to start next year. I enjoy volunteering in the community in my free time. I have helped at the seniors dinners, food bank, and programs run through the elementary school since I was in grade 4.  I also enjoy baking and reading in my spare time, as well as going on hikes.

 

 

 

 

This position was funded by Canada Summer Jobs. If you are interested in employee or volunteer opportunities within our organization, please contact our office at 250-547-0089 for more information.