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.
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.
Thank you to Food Banks Canada for supporting Cherryville Community Food & Resource Society with a very generous grant, with
funding through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Emergency Food Security Fund. The food security services we provide would not be possible without your incredible support.
Photos are of our 2021 Christmas Hamper & Gifts for Children Event. Thanks to Food Banks Canada, we were able to purchase food to fill 70 hampers! This is an increase compared to previous years and a testament to how COVID-19 continues to impact our community. Thank you again for your ongoing support!
The students from Cherryville Elementary School who helped the Cherryville Community Food & Resource Society set up and prepare hampers for the Christmas Hamper & Gifts for Children event. Thank you all!
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.
