Cherryville Food & Resources Foodbank News Christmas Hampers & Gifts Event

Christmas Hampers & Gifts Event

Tis the Season! We have been busy planning, organizing, and collecting items for this years Christmas Hamper event for our Cherryville residents. If you, or someone you know, could benefit from a Christmas hamper this year, please reach out to Sharon Harvey at 250-550-6646 or drop in to the Resource Center and pick up an application from either Michelle or Amanda. Hamper pick ups will be December 17th at the Cherryville Community Hall, all individuals will be provided a time slot after registration is complete. *Deadline for submissions is December 8th!

If you are not familiar with this program, each year around Christmas time we provide an extra large hamper to individuals in need along with Christmas presents for any children part of this program. Although Christmas time can be filled with excitement and wonder, it can also be a very stressful time of year and a real financial burden. We have been giving back to our Cherryville residents to try and alleviate those Christmas stressors for well over 40 years now!

Are you looking to donate or help with this event? There are a few different ways you can support our families at this time.

Annual Angel Brunch – this is a wonderful time spent together in community, sharing great food and even better conversation! Come hang out at the hall with us for some friendly banter and socializing. Everyone is encouraged to bring a brunch item and an unwrapped gift for a child to be used for our children in need at Christmas time. We will accept everything, small stocking stuffers to larger presents, all is welcome! When? Friday, November 25th at the Cherryville Hall from 10:00am-12:00pm.

Angel Sponsorship – our “Angels” are symbolic of every Cherryville child registered for a hamper. We work closely with Cherryville Elementary School where the kids complete Santa Wish Lists that we can then find a few items to include as Christmas gifts. Every angel card for sponsorship includes details about the child you are sponsoring (except the name as the identity of our children remain confidential) and some suggested likes and dislikes.

Christmas Bazaar – Cherryville Community Food & Resource Society will have a table set up at the Christmas Bazaar along with “Angels” in need of sponsorship. We will have homemade baked goods for sale where all proceeds go toward funding our Christmas Hamper and Gifts event. If you would like to sponsor a child or donate money toward sponsorship of a child, this is a great place to do it. Or, instead of giving money we are welcoming any homemade baked item that we can use for sale at the Bazaar. Please drop any baked goods off to Sharon Harvey at 412 Sugar Lake Rd by Saturday, December 3rd.

Thank you to all the incredible volunteers we have, the outstanding staff, and to this beautiful community who continues to give and support our residents year after year with such love and compassion. Cherryville is truly unique and we are beyond blessed to call this our home.

Related Post

A Year In ReviewA Year In Review

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.  

Job Opportunity! – FilledJob Opportunity! – Filled

We are looking for an artistic and creative person to join our team to support Cherryville youth! Position will be posted until filled.

YOUTH ARTS & CULTURE

Program Coordinator Job Application

Position Summary

The Program Coordinator works collaboratively with CCFRS staff to create exciting arts & culture classes for Cherryville youth. There will be 4 unique programs that run for 6 weeks each and target youth ages 6-14. Programs run mid-September to May for a total of 24 weeks. Arts & Culture is a range of educational opportunities including but not limited to Art & Health, Dance, Drawing, Painting & Crafting, Music & Singing, Photography & Film, Poetry & Parks, and Culture.

The Program Coordinator reports to CCF&RS throughout the duration of classes and works collaboratively with staff to create an engaging and inclusive learning opportunity.

Education, Training, and Experience:

  • Experience and/or training working with youth
  • Must hold a current Emergency Child Care First Aid & CPR Certificate (available through CCFRS)
  • Satisfactory Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector
  • Must have Responsible Adult or equivalent
  • Must be at least 19 years of age
  • Must be able to lift and support up to 50 pounds
  • Technical skills (computer savvy, able to use excel and word, etc.) an asset

Work Performed

Duties and Responsibilities for this position include:

  • Creating engaging learning opportunities for youth 6-14 to express themselves in variety of ways
  • Working collaboratively with CCFRS to develop 4 arts and culture programs including but not limited to topics covering Art & Health, Dance, Drawing, Painting & Crafting, Music & Singing, Photography & Film, Poetry & Parks, and Culture
  • Being attentive to the children and building self-esteem and confidence
  • Promoting kindness and creating a positive and inclusive atmosphere
  • Set up and clean up after every class, leaving workspace in same condition as before use
  • Taking inventory of program supplies and submitting requests to CCFRS staff when needed
  • Adherence to CCF&RS policy and procedures including a signed Confidentiality Agreement
  • Ensuring safety of program participants and responding to emergencies in accordance with established policy and guidelines

Hours

This is a contract employee position, 6 hours per week at $20.00/hour (includes MERCS) for 24 weeks running from September to May. Classes range from 1-2 hours per week depending on age group and program focus. Additional hours may be available but not guaranteed.

Qualified applicants are invited to submit resume with at least two references by email to:

Meghan Derkach, Executive Director at meghan.derkach@hotmail.com

We thank all applicants for their interest in this position, please note only the applicants under consideration will be scheduled an interview.

New Freezer Door!New Freezer Door!

Thanks to Food Banks Canada, we now have a freezer safe door installed to safely store all of our perishable items. Our freezer has on average 1500-3000lbs of frozen food that is distributed to Cherryville residents through monthly hampers and food security programs. We are so grateful to have this new door installed because we no longer have to worry about losing any perishable items due to inadequate equipment. Thank you again Food Banks Canada, we are absolutely thrilled with our new door!