Cans of soup? Dried goods? Simple meals? Stereotype challenged!
Within the last few years, we’ve done a lot to change the quality of food we provide. With the help of the community, we were able to start the “Fresh Food Recovery” program.
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Reimagining Summer Starfish Packs presented many challenges as we continue to operate within the guidelines of Stage 3 Reopening. From sourcing volunteers to finding adequate storage and sorting space, many unknowns were met by a positive response from a generous community. We are excited to say that despite the challenges, we have officially launched our third year of our Summer Starfish program! This ensures families can receive help all year long, not just during the school year.
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When the government announced that all non-essential businesses were to close, many found themselves laid off from their jobs. In fact, at the Food Bank we had to layoff many vulnerable volunteers to keep them safe while COVID-19 was prevalent in the community. That left the Food Bank with some big volunteer holes to fill! That’s when we met Jess.
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In recent events, we have witnessed an uprising of voices in support of injustice experienced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) around the world. Archway Community Services stands with this movement and is prepared to take part in the hard work of standing up against systemic racism. Here is a word from our Executive Director, Rod Santiago with further information on how to get involved and recommended resources for your benefit.
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April and May have been busy months. Our staff have been hard at work sourcing new food suppliers when the existing suppliers were facing shortages, reconfiguring our distribution centre to ensure physical distancing and setting up additional Food Bank Neighbourhood Satellites with support from United Way. We also partnered with other Archway programs and community organizations to help distribute food to people who need it most – including seniors’ programs, temporary foreign workers and the Abbotsford School District.
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What’s happening to Starfish Pack while schools are closed? Although we have been faced with food shortages, proximity limits and so many unknown factors, thanks to our generous community we have a plan to continue feeding hungry students and families.
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In the same way we adapt to the changing seasons throughout the year, Archway Food Bank has had to adapt how we operate given the unpredictable season we’re in. In our attempt to increase guest safety due to growing concerns surrounding the spread of COVID-19, we have had to adapt how we deliver some of our services.
We are taking precautions to keep our guests safe. This includes adapting the amount of people in the building at one time, ensuring the amount of times food is handled is kept to a minimum, increasing sanitation of surfaces and washing hands constantly. COVID-19 is hitting the Food Bank hard. Not only are we operating with limited staff and volunteers, but the demand in service has increased significantly and it’s only the beginning. With decrease in manpower and increase in service demand, we have had to make some tough choices.
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Updated Aug 30
We want to ensure our guests, volunteers, and donors that the team here at the Archway Food Bank is doing our very best to respond as restrictions change and evolve in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our goal is to keep providing access to food for individuals and families, and we’ll adapt and change the way we distribute food to keep people safe. We believe people should not go hungry and that continues to be our mission now more than ever.
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The Food Bank is taking a bite out of the climate crisis. You’ve seen the news headlines and the Netflix specials. Over 40% of food grown or raised in North America is wasted. We want to show how you are making a positive environmental change when you partner with the Food Bank of Abbotsford.
Read More›COVID-19 Update to Canadian Food Bank Network
COVID-19 Information
Misinformation about COVID-19 abounds. We strongly encourage all food bankers to continue to refer to credible sources of information about the spread of COVID-19 as well as guidance on how to respond. These sources include regional public health departments, Health Canada and the World Health Organization.
Travis is a loving husband, father, and grandfather. He has lived his life putting his loved ones first. With six children to take care of, when it came to dentist appointments, the kid’s health came first. This meant there wasn’t money left over for Travis’ dental care. Over the years his teeth began to have many issues, but without the money to treat his teeth, Travis suffered through it.
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by Rebecca Thuro
(3 minute read)
Every year we enter the Christmas season with some loose ends that need a touch of the miraculous. This year we needed a building to host the Christmas Bureau toy room and a way to raise $1.2 million by December 31st. Feeding 3,300 people doesn’t get easier at Christmas. It requires even more engagement from our community. And that is just what we found.
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Can we pass you a virtual Kleenex? When you give to Archway Food Bank, you are making a difference in the lives of people like Erica.
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The 7th year of Quality Hotel’s Christmas Breakfast was another wonderful year of seeing the community respond with care for children in need at Christmas. We are happy to announce that together we raised over $42,200 and 1,786 toys for the Abbotsford Christmas Bureau. During the event this year, I came upon one person who had tears in their eyes saying, “I can hardly believe how many people woke up this early to make a difference for a child at Christmas, I’m tearing up.” The Christmas spirit was strong, the joy in the faces of the attendees was evident.
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by Candace Stock
(3 minute read)
It’s that time of year – wreathes and lights are going up, presents are being bought, families are planning their gatherings. Unfortunately for some, this time of year can be filled with fear of survival of the holiday. When the stress of being able to put food on the table already exists, gifts under the tree seem out of reach. Thankfully, with the help of our community, we are able to change that for many families.
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You are invited to our 7th Annual Toys for Tots Christmas Breakfast! We can hardly believe that it’s sneaking up in less than a month! We’ve been excitedly preparing all the details for Friday morning, November 22nd between 6am-9:30am. Have you been to the event before? It’s the best way to kick off the Holiday season (if we do say so ourselves😊).
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(1 minute read)
By Meghan Kellington & Rebecca Thuro
The Starfish Pack Program has been buzzing lately, preparing for the new school year’s deliveries to start. It’s crazy to think that less than 10 years ago, Starfish was delivering 6 backpacks to one school in Abbotsford, and now over 1400 children across the province of British Columbia (and Whatcom County, WA) are receiving Starfish backpacks each weekend thanks to hundreds of volunteers and donors.
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(2 minute read)
By Meghan Kellington
When you think of your childhood, what memories come to mind when you hear the words Summer Holidays? Maybe you think of the excitement of being out of school and getting to play all day with your friends. Maybe you think of camping, family vacations, or attending different types of kid’s camps. Sunshine, swimming, adventures, fun. But for some children and families in Abbotsford, instead of thinking about the fun summer they are going to have, they are thinking, “Are we going to have enough money to be able to afford groceries?” or “When am I going to have food to eat during the summer?”
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Exciting news! After much anticipation, we are excited to tell you that we are celebrating a fresh new name and look! After months of careful consideration we are changing our name from Abbotsford Community Services Food Bank to Archway Food Bank in conjunction with our parent agency, Archway Community Services.
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