We are beyond grateful to the continuous generosity afforded to Cherryville Community Food & Resource Society by The Colin & Lois Pritchard Foundation. We have been absolutely blessed by this foundation and their extraordinary giving hearts! Thank You from all of us at the Cherryville Resource Society.
2020…what a year! With the many challenges, worries, and hardships that transpired from this unprecedented time due to the global pandemic, so has opportunity for change, for growth, and support. In the face of so much uncertainty and adversity, our Cherryville community came together and supported one another in a powerful and meaningful way.
A Year in Review
Food Bank Hampers – with the stress of covid-19, there was an increase in families and individuals accessing monthly food hampers. We worked hard to ensure any Cherryville residents could access a monthly hamper throughout this difficult time. With ample donations, both food and cash, we were able to provide hampers to anyone that requested. Thank you to all of our donors and workers during this time but most importantly, thank you to those who felt comfortable to reach out and ask for help! We welcome anyone to contact us during times of hardship and please know we prioritize discretion, maintain confidentiality and adhere to a zero-tolerance policy for gossip.
Thursday Drop-In – open to all community members, regardless of need. Local residents can access food we have in excess (typically seasonal fruits and vegetables) that we need to disperse as soon as possible to avoid waste, so please come!
Organic Community Garden – we hire a local summer student to work at our community garden which yields fresh organic produce that support our community in a variety of ways. This is an incredible opportunity for our local youth to obtain employment, develop skills and abilities, work on a team of dedicated and caring staff and volunteers, and give back to their community. Summer youth are provided with WHMIS training, Food Safety Certification, and supported throughout their employment at the Cherryville Food Bank.
Rural Communities Delivery Program – we provide excess food to Nakusp Food Bank who supports the smaller rural communities between Cherryville and Nakusp. With our refrigerated truck, we can safely transport perishable and non-perishable food to also support our mission of increasing food security while reducing waste.
Seniors Outreach Services – In May 2020 we launched an outreach program to reach out to our senior residents who like all of us, were 
feeling the effects of social distancing, isolation, and loneliness. With the risks and uncertainty of a potentially deadly virus, many of the older adults were living in fear and craving social interaction. Starting off with check-in calls, socially distanced visits, and some delivery services, we reached out to as many senior residents possible. We have made 256 phone check-ins, 70 socially distanced visits, and over 30 deliveries so far! This has been an incredibly positive experience and will continue to shape our service delivery in the new year.
Pre-Made Meal Program for Seniors – as an extension to the seniors outreach services, we launched a pre-made meals program for seniors which has been a smashing success. To date, we have prepared and sold 442 meals! We look forward to resuming this meal program in the new year with the support of our incredible team of staff and volunteers. We cannot thank them enough!
As 2021 approaches, we are focused on furthering our reach to Cherryville residents and surrounding area with the intention of growing our building into a hub for community resources to connect residents with the supports they require. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is the power of community to support and rely on one another through hard times. Cherryville is an incredibly generous, giving, and resilient community and we look forward to giving back to our residents in any way possible throughout 2021. 
Check out this YouTube video presented by Meghan Derkach, Executive Director at Cherryville Community Food and Resource Society.
(1318) A Rural Approach to the Compassionate Community Model – YouTube
Bio: My name is Meghan Derkach, and I was born and raised in a rural community called Cherryville. I have always been an advocate for social justice and equity since a young age. When I was 18, I was having lunch with a group of older adults who were sharing their frustrations about having to leave the Cherryville community because there weren’t enough resources for them to live independently and I remember feeling absolutely broken hearted about it. That was the moment I realized I wanted to support Cherryville aging and pursued a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work with a Concentration in Aging. I was drawn to the aging-in-place model, community development and looked to age-friendly community literature. However, being rural has its unique challenges and many of the “making an age friendly community” infrastructure wasn’t relatable. Working with older adults I soon came to realize you cannot support aging-in-place without addressing access to health care as they are overlapping systems. I then pursued a Health-Focused Master’s in Social Work through University of Waterloo to better understand the complexity behind health care and how to better support rural aging in place. During this time, I was volunteering at Cherryville Food Bank and started expanding its reach to include resources and services to all residents. In 2021 I assumed the Executive Director position after strengthening our organizational and financial health and obtaining multiple grants. 2021 we officially changed our name to include resources as we expanded our vision and mission to meet the needs of all rural residents. Fast forward to 2024, we have implemented a range of services and resources to support rural living for youth, low-income families, persons living with disabilities, older adults, and a variety of community engagement events. In early January, we started to focus on Cherryville residents who had complex health conditions and or living with life limiting illness to advocate for better access to health care within community. These conversations led us to BC Centre for Palliative Care Seed Grant as the Compassionate Community model aligned perfectly with our growing vision and mission. I am excited to share a little more about this grant and how it has unfolded in the Cherryville community.
Cherryville Summer Camp is a non-profit program being offered through Cherryville Community Food and Resources Society. We strive to support families and youth in Cherryville area by fostering a safe space for children to continue learning development throughout the summer months. Campers will have the opportunity to socialize with peers, build healthy and active routines and continue learning through games, crafts, science, free play and more!
We have two positions available, a Summer Camp Coordinator, as supported through Canada Summer Jobs, and a Summer Camp Helper offered solely by Cherryville Community Food & Resource Society. We are planning to run 6 unique week long camps, Monday-Thursdays throughout July and August in the Cherryville area. If you are interested in either position, please see below for more details.
Camp Coordinator Position Summary
The Summer Camp Coordinator will plan, coordinate, conduct, and supervise all recreational activities for youth during Cherryville Summer Camp. Camps will likely run Monday-Thursday for a total of 6 weeks throughout July and August 2025. The Camp Coordinator will spend time in June designing a course plan for the weeklong camps with the help of the Family and Youth Coordinator and CCFRS Staff. The first week will include orientation and job specific training such as First Aid training and WHMIS. Overall, the Camp Coordinator is responsible for the well being and safety of campers, as well as creating a fun and rewarding environment for them.
Education, Training, and Experience:
Duties and Responsibilities for this Position Include:
Hours:
This is a short-term summer position, consisting of 30 hours per week for 9 weeks starting June 16, 2025. Hourly rate will be $19.00/hour (including MERCS).
Please send resume to: cherryvilleyouth@hotmail.com or drop off your resume in person at CCFRS, Monday to Thursday – 8am to 3pm. Open until position is filled. Interviews to follow with a June start date.
Camp Helper Position Summary
The Summer Camp Helper will work under the direction of the Summer Camp Coordinator, providing support and assistance wherever needed. The Summer Camp Helper will be available during 6 unique week-longs camps throughout July and August and will role model, display and encourage the character traits of caring, responsibility, honesty, and respect in the fulfillment of all job duties.
Education, Training, and Experience:
Duties and Responsibilities for this Position Include:
Hours:
This is a short-term summer position, consisting of 20 hours per week for 6 weeks beginning in July 2025. Hourly rate will be $17.85/hour (including MERCS).
Please send resume to: cherryvilleyouth@hotmail.com or drop off your resume in person at CCFRS, Monday to Thursday – 8am to 3pm. Open until position is filled. Interviews to follow with a Julys start date.
Cherryville Community Food and Resources Society
Physical location: 158 North Fork Road, Cherryville, BC V0E 2G3 Email: Cherryvilleyouth@hotmail.com Phone: 250-550-8902 Faxe: 250-547-0059
