Cherryville Food & Resources

For more information, please contact our office to speak with either Amanda or Meghan. You are also more than welcome to email the program lead, Meghan Derkach at meghan.derkach@hotmail.com. All inquiries are welcomed 🙂

Thanks to Food Banks Canada, we now have a freezer safe door installed to safely store all of our perishable items. Our freezer has on average 1500-3000lbs of frozen food that is distributed to Cherryville residents through monthly hampers and food security programs. We are so grateful to have this new door installed because we no longer have to worry about losing any perishable items due to inadequate equipment. Thank you again Food Banks Canada, we are absolutely thrilled with our new door!

Express yourself was a really fun and creative session. The kiddos really enjoyed it. We had many great discussions around the table and lots of laughs as we worked through the process of art and did not focus on the outcome. We used music, dance and skipping to get our body moving and keep our creative juices flowing. 

Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and/or follow us on Facebook for more Arts & Culture sessions! We provide classes for range of Cherryville youth, including teens!

Recycled City was a major success among our 8-12 year old kiddos!

It was a super fun 6 weeks watching the kiddos go through the process of designing, planning and creating their cities.

Everyone was so focused and determined to bring their creations to life. There was lots of problem solving, discussion, creative thinking and learning mixed in. It was a joy to see how the recycled materials were turned into buildings, houses and community structures; real and imaginative. The end result was a very diverse collection of “cities” and some super proud creators.

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.

We are looking for an artistic and creative person to join our team to support Cherryville youth! Position will be posted until filled.

YOUTH ARTS & CULTURE

Program Coordinator Job Application

Position Summary

The Program Coordinator works collaboratively with CCFRS staff to create exciting arts & culture classes for Cherryville youth. There will be 4 unique programs that run for 6 weeks each and target youth ages 6-14. Programs run mid-September to May for a total of 24 weeks. Arts & Culture is a range of educational opportunities including but not limited to Art & Health, Dance, Drawing, Painting & Crafting, Music & Singing, Photography & Film, Poetry & Parks, and Culture.

The Program Coordinator reports to CCF&RS throughout the duration of classes and works collaboratively with staff to create an engaging and inclusive learning opportunity.

Education, Training, and Experience:

• Experience and/or training working with youth
• Must hold a current Emergency Child Care First Aid & CPR Certificate (available through CCFRS)
• Satisfactory Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector
• Must have Responsible Adult or equivalent
• Must be at least 19 years of age
• Must be able to lift and support up to 50 pounds
• Technical skills (computer savvy, able to use excel and word, etc.) an asset

Work Performed

Duties and Responsibilities for this position include:

• Creating engaging learning opportunities for youth 6-14 to express themselves in variety of ways
• Working collaboratively with CCFRS to develop 4 arts and culture programs including but not limited to topics covering Art & Health, Dance, Drawing, Painting & Crafting, Music & Singing, Photography & Film, Poetry & Parks, and Culture
• Being attentive to the children and building self-esteem and confidence
• Promoting kindness and creating a positive and inclusive atmosphere
• Set up and clean up after every class, leaving workspace in same condition as before use
• Taking inventory of program supplies and submitting requests to CCFRS staff when needed
• Adherence to CCF&RS policy and procedures including a signed Confidentiality Agreement
• Ensuring safety of program participants and responding to emergencies in accordance with established policy and guidelines

Hours

This is a contract employee position, 6 hours per week at $20.00/hour (includes MERCS) for 24 weeks running from September to May. Classes range from 1-2 hours per week depending on age group and program focus. Additional hours may be available but not guaranteed.

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.

We are beyond excited to share an article written by Food Banks Canada showcasing our Community Garden program. Check out the full article here:

https://foodbankscanada.ca/how-a-food-bank-in-rural-b-c-is-engaging-young-people-in-collective-gardening-to-help-address-food-insecurity/