YOU’RE INVITED TO OUR UPCOMING AGM!
Categories:
Related Post
Thank You Food Banks CanadaThank You Food Banks Canada
In March, 2025 we received $15,000 from Food Banks Canada through the Emergency Food Action grant. With a 20% increase in Cherryville households in need of monthly hampers since 2022, our capacity to support the consistent demand has been difficult. This past January-March were particularly difficult months as we had significantly less food donations available over these months and our hamper quantity and quality were compromised. When our Food Bank Floor Manager was asked why there was such a decrease in available food donations over these months, he thoughtfully pondered the impact of the imposing tariffs on our food systems. Despite the unsettling economic and political climate this past year, we were incredibly blessed to be a recipient of the Emergency Food Action grant. Due to these funds to purchase food, we were able to replenish our much needed staple items including healthy perishable items from March-June which directly benefited our local families and households in need.
THANK YOU
ECHO Presentation – Rural Approach to Compassionate CommunitiesECHO Presentation – Rural Approach to Compassionate Communities
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.