October 17th, 2020 marked the pick-up day of our FIRST pre-made meals for seniors, and it rolled out absolutely wonderfully! Turkey Dinner was the meal available which came with turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables, stuffing, a bun, and dessert. All individually prepared meals are $5.00 and we successfully packaged and sold 135! This day would NOT have been possible without an incredible, hardworking, and compassionate crew of people and I would like to personally thank the following:
Our Volunteer Cooks, Meal Preppers, and Packagers: Diana Verhage, Corrie Verhage, Manda Harrop, Karen St. Pierre, & Bev Melvin.
A special thank you to Greg Cretin, a professional meat carver who graciously volunteered his time to carve all 6 turkeys!
We thank Lynne Frerrichs and Angelia Harvey who coordinated meal orders, made calls, and supported the set up and launch of this meal program.
Also, a special thank you to Angelia Harvey who delivered meals to those who were unable to drive or wasn’t able to make it for pick-up.
Lastly, a very special thank you to Sharon Harvey and the Cherryville Community Food Bank Society who spent months planning and working together to see this vision come to fruition. With the positive feedback we have already received from seniors, families, and community members, this is clearly a need for our community and we are beyond excited to be able to offer this service. Most of the food was donated by the Cherryville Community Food Bank, some was donated by Dolman’s and without everyone who showed up to support us, this would not have been possible.
From the bottom of our hearts….Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
As a reminder, if you would like to specifically donate to this service, all funds go back into the meal program itself. Simply click the Donate Now page and make a special note at the bottom as to where you would like your donations to go (for example: $20 to purchase 4 meals for seniors; $50.00 towards food costs, etc.) and we will ensure your donation request is honored.
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:
Experience and/or training working with youth ages 5 through 12
Cleared criminal record check for working with Vulnerable Populations
Valid First Aid & CPR certificate *available through CCFRS if needed
Must be between the ages of 18-30 years old
Must be able to lift and support up to 50 pounds
Duties and Responsibilities for this Position Include:
Plan and implement 6 unique week-long camps for Cherryville youth ages 6-12 (with support from CCFRS staff) throughout July and August
Work collaboratively with the Camp Helper and support day-to-day activities
Monitor and observe youth behavior to ensure safe environment is maintained
Provide skill-building and social skills to youth where able
Adhere to all program policies and procedures
Understand emergency and safety protocols
Ensure attendance checklists are completed daily and submitted to CCFRS staff on a weekly basis
Help in the CCFRS office as needed
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:
Experience and/or training working with youth ages 5 through 12
Cleared criminal record check for working with Vulnerable Populations (if 18+)
Valid First Aid & CPR certificate *available through CCFRS if needed
Must be between the ages of 15-30 years old
Must be able to lift and support up to 50 pounds
Duties and Responsibilities for this Position Include:
Assist the Summer Camp Coordinator in weekly activities
Monitor and observe youth behavior
Provide skill-building and social skills to youth
Model appropriate behavior
Adhere to all program policies and procedures
Understand emergency and safety protocols
Ensure a fun safe environment for children
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.comPhone: 250-550-8902 Faxe: 250-547-0059
Lennon Adkins was hired in the summer of 2020 to help with the development, maintenance, and harvest of this years Community Garden. He has been hard at work alongside Peter and Renske, who have graciously dedicated a piece of their land for the establishment of this garden. Our Community Garden continues to be an incredible resource, providing fresh, organic produce that goes straight to our residents. There has already been roughly 500 lbs of food harvested and distributed to local residents and we are only half way through the season. Not only has the Community Garden contributed to our mission for increasing food security but also provides educational and employment opportunities to our local youth. Peter and Renske could not be better mentors and Lennon has proven to be an incredible young man, a very hard worker, and a wonderful student to work with.
This summer student position is funded by Service Canada through the Canada Summer Jobs program.
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.
October 17th, 2020 marked the pick-up day of our FIRST pre-made meals for seniors, and it rolled out absolutely wonderfully! Turkey Dinner was the meal available which came with turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables, stuffing, a bun, and dessert. All individually prepared meals are $5.00 and we successfully packaged and sold 135! This day would NOT have been possible without an incredible, hardworking, and compassionate crew of people and I would like to personally thank the following:
o Greg Cretin, a professional meat carver who graciously volunteered his time to carve all 6 turkeys!
and working together to see this vision come to fruition. With the positive feedback we have already received from seniors, families, and community members, this is clearly a need for our community and we are beyond excited to be able to offer this service. Most of the food was donated by the Cherryville Community Food Bank, some was donated by Dolman’s and without everyone who showed up to support us, this would not have been possible.
