National Volunteer Week is an annual celebration of the millions of individuals who give their time and talents to help others. This week is a time to recognize and thank volunteers for their contributions to communities across the country and at our Food Bank.
Volunteers like Ghadeer!
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As we talk with community members, we’ve noticed that there are some common myths about food banks.
Myths or stigma can stop people from accessing food or from making donations. We are here to help anyone who needs help and aim to make the process as barrier free and welcoming as possible.
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As we settle into the start of the new year, we wanted to recognize the generosity of those who helped support the Food Bank and Christmas Bureau through the holiday season! Over the month of December, the Food Bank was able to facilitate the Christmas Bureau program thanks to the overwhelming generosity of our community. The program has two different community elements. One, the opportunity to directly impact a family or senior by sponsoring them and through donations so we can provide food and gifts so that everyone can experience the holiday.
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The Archway Food Bank has seen a 72% increase in the number of people facing food insecurity this year which is straining their resources.
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The 10th anniversary of Clarion 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 $10,000 and 2,000 toys for Archway Food Banks Christmas Bureau.
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’Tis the season of giving once again, and Abbotsford’s Christmas Bureau offers a few ways to support our neighbours over the holiday season.
One option is a direct sponsorship where sponsors are matched with a family or senior in the community. Sponsors are asked to provide food items from a set list and gifts for their matched family which they then deliver directly to their door They communicate ahead of time to find out their needs and the recipients enjoy the personalized gifts and food options.
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The 10th annual Toys for Tots event is being held this Sunday, November 27th at the Clarion Hotel and Conference Centre. The event collects toys and donations for the Christmas Bureau program of the Archway Food Bank.
Community members are invited to bring gifts and enjoy a free buffet breakfast along with entertainment at the drop-in event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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Amid an unprecedented pandemic, the Fraser Valley experienced unprecedented flooding in November 2021. Residents watched helplessly as their residences and businesses filled with water. As thousands of residents were suddenly evacuated and cut off from their workplaces and loved ones, hundreds turned to the Archway Food Bank for basic provisions and non-perishable food items.
With the flooding came disruptions to supply chains which caused food shortages. For those already accessing the Food Bank anxieties were running high as reserves of food and resources to travel to other towns to purchase supplies are often out of reach.
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Fifteen years ago, the Dealers of the Fraser Valley Auto Mall decided to organize a large donation to the Archway Food Bank of Abbotsford. The event grew each year and in view of the current circumstances, 2021 has seen huge generosity. On December 22, 2021, in the showroom of MSA Ford, Steve Magown, manager of the Fraser Valley Auto Mall presented a cheque in the amount of $19,000 to Rebecca Thuro and advised that, with last-minute donations, the total amount for 2021 would increase.
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The Peardonville Community Association Society has donated $500,000 from the sale of their hall to the Starfish Pack Program of the Archway Food Bank.
“Our Peardonville Community Hall Committee choose the Starfish Program as it represents most closely the mandate of the original Peardonville Society objectives,” said June Ross, a member of the Peardonville Committee.
“The main fundraisers and programs were for children. Stemming from the 2nd World War, the neighbourhood women became part of the Women’s Institute whose motto was “no child should ever go hungry” and the Starfish program fits that motto perfectly.”
“Words cannot adequately express how grateful we are for this donation,” said Rod Santiago, the Executive Director of Archway Community Services. “This will do so much to enhance the food the children receive each week, the number of children we can help and live on as an ongoing endowment.”
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We’re very fortunate that our Food Bank building was not negatively impacted by flooding.. But we are very concerned about possible disruptions to our supply chain. As you know, thousands of people rely on us to access essential food service each month. During this local emergency we are also supporting some displaced individuals including approximately 200 temporary farm workers.
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Updated November 22, 2021
The Clarion Hotel’s Toys for Tots event benefitting the Archway Food Bank of Abbotsford will now be held at the Abbotsford Centre due to flooding at the hotel.
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By Rebecca Thuro & Food Justice Team
“Mom, can I go my friend’s birthday at the rec centre on Friday?” says Katrina to her mother Tricia. Tricia wants with all her heart for her daughter to be able to experience the joy of celebrating her friend, but she has a dilemma. The car ride to the rec centre is across town, and a birthday gift is out of the question. The last she checked, there was $20 in the bank, gas in the car was on empty and the fridge was looking bare. Friday’s pay day felt very far away.
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(3 Minute Read)
By Meghan Kellington & Rebecca Thuro
Jennifer has a lot of people depending on her. She is a single parent who deeply loves her three daughters – ages 13, 10, and 7. She is also tirelessly caring for her elderly mother who has been battling illness. Jennifer has been unable to work due to a disability and depends solely on the disability income to provide for her family. To make ends meet, Jennifer has been accessing food at the Food Bank.
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Since July of 2020 Archway Food Bank has had 300 people raise their hand to say “yes, I want to use these hands to help.” We would have never survived this pandemic without the courageous help of our current and new volunteers. The diversity of volunteers that stepped up has enriched our pandemic experience. Meeting new faces and saying, let’s lean on each other (figuratively!) through this tough year, has lifted our spirits when we all needed it most.
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Acknowledging that a year has passed since everything changed on March 11th, 2020 is both unpleasant and needed. While we are still grieving many changes, we’ve been given hope that the summer will be different as vaccines continue to roll out.
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by Tracy Rahn (Christmas Bureau Coordinator) and Rebecca Thuro
If there is one thing that connects us all as human beings, it’s the deep desire to be seen. To be known. To feel that we belong. It is, in the simplest terms, the need for connection – this has been especially highlighted in a year where isolation is necessary. I (Tracy Rahn) experienced some of the most profound moments of connection, of empathy and understanding at this year’s Christmas Bureau. I found it peeking out from behind masked faces, passing sets of eyes that we sometimes may not even recognize as our neighbour or old acquaintance.
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Over the last 14 years the Archway Food Bank has depended on the annual Fraser Valley Auto Mall Food Bank Drive to help provide food throughout the holiday season. This year we were overjoyed when a donation of $27,250 was made on Saturday, December 19th.
Read More›At Thanksgiving we shared how the Archway Food Bank is breaking the stereotype and distributing fresh food every day.
When the cost of transportation to and from the Food Bank can cost $12 by taxi, transportation was a barrier to accessing food. Now with home delivery – this means that people like Mary-Margaret can have nutritious food delivered directly to her door.
You can hear directly from Mary-Margaret about the impact that fresh food from the Food Bank has made to her.
