(3-Minute Read)
The Abbotsford Starfish Pack program recently celebrated its local contributions to the provincial program feeding over 1,200 students in need every weekend during the school year.
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(3 minute read)
Claudia’s life has been full of challenges. At age 12 she was kicked out of her home in Mexico and lived on the streets for over a year before finding a welcoming family in a traveling circus. At the circus, Claudia did everything from selling popcorn and cleaning trailers to making costumes and juggling rings. During her time traveling with the circus she had her first son before eventually meeting a Canadian man who would become her husband.
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(2 Minute Read)
This summer was very eventful for the Starfish Pack Program. We were able to offer Summer Starfish Packs to children and their families for the first time ever! Now heading into the fall, and the school year being in full swing, we have been able to expand even more. We are working towards our goal of increasing our numbers to 300 packs in Abbotsford, and are even in the works of expanding Starfish to high schools for the first time through a new pantry program!
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(2-Minute Read) By Meghan Franklin
As the summer wraps up and the kids are back to school, we can’t help but reflect on the successful summer it has been for our kids. The children whose families are clients of our food bank had the opportunity to attend different types of summer camps because of our community’s generosity.
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(2.5-Minute Read)
By Meghan Franklin
We first met Noah two years ago when her story with us at the Abbotsford Food Bank’s free dental clinic began. As you may remember, Noah had grown up being bullied about her teeth, which drastically impacted her self-esteem. She went from having a carefree childhood, to worrying about hiding her smile from everyone around her. When Noah was in middle school she struggled with severe anxiety, which made going to school, interacting with peers or teachers, and having her photo taken extremely difficult. Noah knew that the root of what was causing this was her teeth, but she did not have access to any way to change this.
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(2.5-Minute Read)
By Lucas Driediger
From extending Starfish through the summer, to increasing the amount of children we support, there is a lot going on in the world of Starfish! Whether you are eager to fight poverty, or just want a feel good story, this blog is for you.
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(3-Minute Read)
By Rebecca Thuro
We are continuing our conversation about connecting families through Food Bank Satellites. Today, we’re introducing you to another service partner that reaches men who might otherwise go without food.
Meet our friends at the George Schmidt Centre. This is a housing project by BC Housing that includes 30 units of self-contained apartments for men who have gone through recovery and treatment. The men are expected to maintain a clean and sober lifestyle and be employed, looking for work or receiving training or upgrading.
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(2-minute Read)
By Rebecca Thuro
We’d like to introduce you to Raven’s Moon Resource Society – one of the Archway Food Bank’s Program Satellite locations. They provide affordable housing through 24 different locations for over 100 men and women.
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(2-minute read)
By Rebecca Thuro
This blog post is continuing our conversation about connecting families through Food Bank Satellites. We wanted you, our extended family, to meet our service partners so that you could know more about the people you are reaching by partnering with the Abbotsford Food Bank.
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(2 Minute Read)
By Rebecca Thuro
HillCity is the only Food Bank Satellite located on a church property. They take their role seriously. The Abbotsford Food Bank has limited operational hours and we looked specifically for a satellite location that would be able to accommodate after-hours food support. Hill City answered that call.
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Did you know that the Abbotsford Food Bank is one of 90 programs of Abbotsford Community Services?
We need your help in supporting this amazing work. Join us at the 2nd annual Charity Golf Tournament on June 26, 2018. The tournament will be held at the beautiful Ledgeview Golf & Country Club – the ‘Jewel of the Fraser Valley.’
If you are a golfer, this event is for you! Last year was a hit. Click the icon below for more details!
Another Christmas is wrapped up and we wanted to say thank you to all who helped make this year another success! Whether you gave in time, money, service or all the above, it made a difference and we are so thankful. We know that many of you do not give out of excess, but rather make sacrifices in order to make giving to the Christmas Bureau possible and we admire that so much. Watching the community surround us once again is an amazing experience. We are so grateful to be able to witness our community show such love to the families who come to us for help.
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Updated: December 22, 2017
Every once in a while, we need to take a step back and remind ourselves of the good that is happening right under our noses. While the names have been changed to protect our guests, the stories are real. Real families, and real experiences. Their lives may be difficult, but they are made a lot better by our amazing community.
Here are a few of our favourite stories:
Here is our complete list of the Abbotsford Food Bank’s holiday hours.
The magical feeling of Christmas was hard to deny at this year’s Toys for Tots Christmas Breakfast presented by Quality Hotel.
The sense of a supportive community was tangible. Today, we are overwhelmed with gratitude toward our community and the heartfelt involvement and generosity towards children in need. Special thanks to the donor who came forward to match every donation at the event!
Toys For Tots Christmas Breakfast is a fun family event that kicks off the Christmas season with the true spirit of the season – giving to children in need. On November 24th from 6 am – 9:30 am the community is invited to bring a new toy for any age or a monetary donation to the event. Stay for a delicious hot breakfast, craft, photo booth, a visit with Santa, live Christmas carols and local entertainment.
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Here’s the inside scoop on our latest summer students experiences. Every summer we welcome local university students to experience life at the Abbotsford Food Bank through a government subsidy program. This year we had the pleasure of welcoming two summer students into our office. We had a great time getting to know them and were blessed by the energy they brought to the team and are excited to introduce you to them. Read more to find out how their expectations were met! Meet Lucas and Corinna.
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(3-minute read)
By Rebecca Thuro
To start the satellite series off right, we are happy to introduce you to Chris. He oversees the Food Bank Satellite at Positive Living. Their programming serves over 200 people with HIV, Viral Hepatitis, TB and Sexually Transmitted Blood Borne Infections. They also have programs for the street entrenched population. Chris has the unique experience of being both a graduate of positive living and knowing the struggles faced by those juggling their sickness and living on a government disability cheque very personally.
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(4 Minute Read)
By Rebecca Thuro
The question often gets asked: how does someone end up at the Archway Food Bank? Well, it’s not necessarily a straight forward answer. One thing we know for sure, is that everyone deserves access to food, and the ability to feed their family. Our work begins with trying to reduce the barriers that might get in the way.
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Thank you to everyone who participated in the 3-day Starfish Matching Campaign! Not only did we meet our goal of 10 backpacks, but we more than doubled it in less than 48 hours.
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