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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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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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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by Lucas Driediger
I was first introduced to Tammy earlier this Fall. Although she had used the Food Bank off and on in the past, the pandemic and changed things. With some newly diagnosed health issues, contracting any new sickness has created new challenges.
Thankfully, the combination of her positive attitude, strong demeanor, and community support have helped her get by in this time.
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We are so thankful to be able to continue the tradition of kicking off the Holiday season in the true spirit of Christmas at the re-imagined Toys for Tots Drive-Thru – hosted by Clarion Hotel (formerly Quality Hotel) on November 27th from 7:00 am-10:00 am. No one could have predicted how different this year would be. That’s why the return of sponsors, partners and community support and means so much more!
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Starfish has been very busy this year! From providing 500 emergency essential pantry boxes to families in May and June, to doubling the number of participants in our Summer Starfish program. With kids back to school, we’re happy to be launching our regular weekly backpack deliveries. Starfish has never stopped helping more families – now, more than ever before.
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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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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.
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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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Wow, another successful year! We define success, in large part, by the stories of gratitude that have been shared with us by both those who have been helped and those who have been able to extend help this Christmas. And guess what, we have SO MANY STORIES this year. Each year we face different challenges to make the Abbotsford Christmas Bureau a reality. This year was no different, from the loss of a distribution location to medical emergencies – the start of this season was a little shaky.
Read More›Here is Abbotsford Food Bank’s 2018 Holiday hours.
Thanks so much for thinking of us during this season!
Christmas is a season full of hope, joy and wonder. It represents time spent with family, friends and the opportunity to spoil those we love the most. But for many in our community, it can also be difficult – especially if you have trouble putting food on the table. Thankfully, a gift to the Abbotsford Food Bank & Christmas Bureau can change that.
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(7 min read)
By Rebecca Thuro
The magical feeling of Christmas was tangible during the 2018 Toys for Tots Christmas Breakfast. As the event organizer, each year during the planning process I have the little voice that says “what if there isn’t enough this year”. I’d imagine this is the question many hold in their hearts as they enter the holiday season. For families that use the Christmas Bureau not having enough isn’t just a fear, it’s a reality. Thankfully, I am so happy to announce that because of the big heartedness of our community we will once again be able to fully support each family that needs to turn to the Christmas Bureau.
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(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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(2-Minute Read) By Meghan Franklin
Our 6th Annual Toys for Tots Christmas Breakfast is just around the corner, and we can’t wait! We have been excitedly preparing and planning for Friday, November 23rd. If you have never attended one of these events, you are in for a treat! Toys for Tots Christmas Breakfast is a fun family friendly event that kicks off the Christmas season. Join us anytime from 6:00 am to 9:30 am at the Quality Hotel for a delicious hot breakfast, crafts, photo booth, a visit with Santa, live Christmas carols and local entertainment brought to us by Sevenoaks Shopping Centre. Everyone is invited to participate. All we ask is that you bring a new toy for any age or a monetary donation to the event to benefit the Abbotsford Christmas Bureau and Food Bank.
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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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(2.5-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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