Cherryville Food & Resources Foodbank News Job Opportunities for Youth in Rural Areas by Haylee Bennett

Job Opportunities for Youth in Rural Areas by Haylee Bennett


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.

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Employment Opportunity – FilledEmployment Opportunity – Filled

Job Title: Community Outreach Worker

Community: Cherryville

Status: part-time (15hrs per week) start May 15th, 2021 – May 15th 2022 (possibility for more hours depending on funding)

Position Summary

The Community Outreach Worker will work at the Cherryville Community Food & Resources building providing information and support to inquiring individuals. A focus on working with the aging population and volunteer recruitment and coordination is a priority. The Community Outreach Worker will work closely with our team to grow the organization and implement services that meet the unique needs of our community.

Education, Training, and Experience:

  • Bachelor of Social Work, Human Service Certification, or undergraduate degree in related field
  • Experience working in community, familiar with Cherryville area an asset
  • Knowledge and experience of working with aging population is preferred
  • Valid BC Driver’s License as well as a clear driver abstract and access to personal vehicle for work related purposes
  • Satisfactory Criminal Record Check with Vulnerable Sector
  • Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to build strong, collaborative relationships
  • Technical skills a requirement (computer savvy, able to use excel and word, etc.)

Work Performed

Duties and Responsibilities for this position include:

  • Providing information and referral through phone calls, drop-ins (once safe to do), and one-on-one appointments
  • Recruiting, screening, and coordinating volunteers
  • Tracking and reporting (maintain call log, compiling data, taking notes/records, etc.)
  • Checking in with ED on regular basis, give reports and provide data, discuss common needs/concerns of the community
  • Networking and facilitating/strengthening relationships with community partners and stakeholders
  • Pursue and support community development opportunities
  • Experience working in a setting where confidentiality is required
  • Must adhere to COVID-19 guidelines, policy, and protocols

Hours

This is a part-time position, consisting of 15 hours per week at 21.00/hour (includes MERCS). This position is secure for one year with the potential to continue depending on funding availability. Hours can be moved around to fit schedule of Community Outreach Worker.

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.

 

Huge Thank You to Food Banks BC, BC Dairy Farmers, NORD, Kamloops Okanagan Dairy Association, and Safe Seniors Strong CommunitiesHuge Thank You to Food Banks BC, BC Dairy Farmers, NORD, Kamloops Okanagan Dairy Association, and Safe Seniors Strong Communities

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.

 

Employment Opportunity – now filledEmployment Opportunity – now filled

THIS POSITION HAS NOW BEEN FILLED – thank you to all who applied.

Job Title: Pre-made Senior Meals Cook and Food Bank Helper

Community: Cherryville

Status: 12-week position, April 15th – December 18th 2021

Position Summary

The Cherryville Community Food Bank is hiring a temporary casual worker to join our team in Cherryville for the year of 2021. We have an incredible team of local staff and volunteers who work together to provide various resources and services to the community. We are constantly growing our vision and working collaboratively to bridge services and resources to our community.

We are looking for someone to join our team and take on the role and responsibilities for cooking our monthly senior meals for the remainder of 2021. There is potential for hours to continue into 2022. In addition, there will be three weeks dedicated to helping at the food bank including the construction of our Christmas Hampers and processing food harvested from our Community Garden in September.

**This is a work opportunity for anyone that is qualified to receive B.C. income or disability assistance – it is meant to provide short-term relief for individuals effected by COVID-19 and increase their ability to participate in the labor market. Note: you do not have to be actively in receipt of income or disability assistance payments from the Ministry or Government of Canada to be eligible for this position.

Meal Cook Responsibilities:

  • Working with staff to determine meals that will be cooked each month
  • Picking up adequate supply of food to construct 100-125 pre-made meals
  • Taking the lead on cooking meals, includes delegating tasks to volunteers who help prepare, cook, and construct pre-made meal containers
  • Must adhere to food safety requirements

Training, Experience, and Skills:

  • Must have current Food Safe – if you do not have this, there is opportunity to get it free through the Food Bank
  • Experience in cooking, particularly with large quantities of food
  • Effective time management skills is necessary
  • Willing to work collaboratively with a team of staff and volunteers

Wages: stipend of $300 per meal completed (9 meals); 3 weeks helping at food bank ($300 per week) for total of 12 weeks of work.

The Cherryville Community Food Bank Society takes COVID-19 safety protocols very seriously and the person employed in this position will be expected to comply with our policy and procedures to reduce risk of spreading the virus and maintain safety.

If you are interested in applying for this position, contact Sharon Harvey at 250-550-6646. Please have a current resume available, there will be an interview scheduled for all candidates who meet requirements.