Employment Opportunity – now filled

The Cherryville Community Food Bank has worked tirelessly to grow and expand as an organization to further our reach into the community and provide a variety of community resources. We now have an ongoing senior services program staffed by Angelia Harvey who connects with senior residents on a regular basis. To date, Angelia has made 363 phone call check-ins, 98 virtual visits, 40 grocery shopping and delivery (includes going to Franks/Emporium to get items for seniors in need), 30 transportation services and a handful of prescription drop-offs. In addition, Angelia delivers pre-made meals to seniors for those who do not drive or are unable to make it for pick-up. To date, we have made and sold 755 senior meals! This service has been a huge success and we could not do it without the support of volunteers, staff, and the community hall.

Also, you may have noticed that we are increasing services to Cherryville including the Heart Health Clinic, Hearing Checks, and Foot Care. These services have been made possible through the coordination between Lumby & District Health Services, White Valley Community Resources, and Cherryville Community Food Bank and we must give a massive shout out to Lynne Frerichs who is a major driving force behind these services being present in our community, making them as accessible as possible. Additionally, we have started providing supports around applying for benefits like the BC Recovery Benefit and will continue to offer these supports as needed.

Furthermore, we have been committed to creating short-term work opportunities for our youth and community residents as we secure various grants. In the summer, we employ one to two students to maintain our Community Garden and carry out tasks as a food bank helper. We provide WHMIS and Food Safe for those who are employed and work hard to ensure participants receive a well-rounded work experience. Most recently, we will be employing a community resident to prepare and cook the senior meals for 2021. We acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction to provide this work opportunity for a Cherryville resident.

We have an incredible team of people behind the Cherryville Community Food Bank and we are excited to continuously expand and provide support as needed. If you are interested in volunteering or employment opportunities, feel free to contact us by phone or email any time. We will be posting employment opportunities as they rise throughout the community.

Lastly, our organization relies on the generous donors who support our vision and mission for meeting the needs within our community. Any amount of donation is greatly appreciated, from the bottoms of our hearts, thank you for your contribution and support.

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.