Christmas Hampers & Gifts Event

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.  

In 2016 we teamed up with Lake Country Food Bank and established the “Network of Sharing” in which we have connected nine different food banks that we can distribute food to when we receive large quantities of food. This reduces food waste entering our landfills, a national issue that has major environmental effects, as well as puts more food directly into the hands of community members, programs, activities, and events. Inspired by this partnership, we reached out to collaborate with Nakusp Food Bank who supports five rural communities between us. With safe transport of perishable items being the largest obstacle, we successfully sought and secured funding through Food Banks BC to purchase a refrigerated truck. We are now delivering fresh vegetables, fruits, breads, dairy products, and any other food/household goods we receive in excess that they are willing and able to accept. Extending this network of sharing concept into the Kootenay region has proven to be a positive impact for all communities involved as well as reducing the environmental impact of excessive waste entering our landfills. Our commitment to this social cause has resulted in this expansion of our food bank services, directly contributing to our mission of promoting healthy living and food security while reducing waste.

This program is funded by Interior Health through the Community Food Action Initiative grant.

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new meal program for seniors! Any senior residing in Cherryville area who is 65 or older can purchase a pre-made meal for $5.00. Fresh meals can be picked up the same day as they are made, otherwise all meals are frozen and can be picked up at a later date. All proceeds go back into the program to further support our local seniors.

October 17th, 2020 is the First Meal Day!

Turkey Dinner – comes with turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, steamed carrots, bun and a dessert. Call Lynne Frerichs at 250-547-6540 to place your order!

Are you interested in sponsoring a senior to receive meals? Use the donate option to purchase meals for a senior, just make a note in the comments section and we will use your donation to provide meals to seniors in need. A $50.00 donation is the equivalent of buying 10 meals!

We have so much to be thankful for this year and we cannot wait to give back to our community through this exciting new program for seniors.