Cast-A-Light

Hard choices for a safe family
by Contributed - Story: 67946
Dec 1, 2011 / 5:00 am

A single mother faced with a choice between the safety of her family and the high cost of living elsewhere really has no choice. When confronted with that decision while living in an unruly northern community, Amanda packed up her children and moved to Kelowna in 2010.

It was a rough start for Amanda and her three active children, Dakota, 14, Chase, 13 and Riley, 8. At first, they stayed with friends until they could find a place of their own. Then the reality of Kelowna’s high cost of living kicked in. While continuing to look for work and living on a small social assistance benefit, Amanda had to come to terms with how expensive it is to live here and how difficult it is to find decent, affordable shelter for her family.

Amanda soon registered with the Kelowna Food Bank for the help she desperately needed to feed her children. “We get a monthly hamper but it’s still a struggle a lot of the time to make the food last. I will go days without eating so my kids can eat,” says Amanda. “Of course, going hungry isn’t good for me, but my kids come first.”

Even with the stress and challenges of moving and going to new schools, the children are surprisingly upbeat about their new community and the support of Food Bank programs like Kids Snack Pack. Riley says, “I get snacks at school with my lunch and that’s awesome.”

Amanda is happy to report she has just started a new job and Christmas is looking brighter for her and her kids, but she still has concerns about making ends meet. “Finally getting work is going to help get us over the hump, for sure, but it’s a low paying job so it’s still going to be tight with the cost of living here,” she says. “On the brighter side, we are getting a Christmas hamper and that will go a long way toward making the holiday better for all of us.”

The entire family is thankful for the support of the Food Bank and each in their own way appreciates what the Food Bank provides to help the family get by. For young Riley, it’s about the community giving back, helping families like his that are struggling. Chase recognizes how the Food Bank benefits those who don’t have enough money to afford healthy food. Dakota acknowledges how helpful it is to families like theirs and how important it is, especially when it comes from the community. Amanda simply says, “Thank you for thinking of us. We’re so fortunate to have the help and the access to food. It relieves a lot of stress for families that might otherwise have to resort to whatever means possible to survive… and leads to a healthier and safer community all round.”

Amanda and her children all agree that they will give back to their new community, volunteering to help at the Food Bank and other organizations when they can. With that, Dakota begins with the simple gesture of offering a candy cane and a wish for a happy holiday.

HERE’S HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE:

Please indicate if you wish for your name not to be listed on Castanet along with your donation amount – we automatically list it if the donor does not indicate otherwise.

 

Make a donation on Castanet (www.castanet.net) CAST-A-LIGHT Campaign from now until December 31st, 2011. (A tax receipt will be e-mailed to you for donations over $10.)

 

Drop your CAST-A-LIGHT donation off at the Kelowna Community Food Bank at 1265 Ellis Street (Downtown Kelowna) between 9 AM and 4 PM, Monday-Friday.

 

Mail in your CAST-A-LIGHT donation to:

Kelowna Community Food Bank

1265 Ellis Street, Kelowna, BC

V1Y 1Z7

Phone: 250-763-7161

Fax: 250-763-9116


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Donate online:

Questions call: 250-763-7161

Donations will automatically be recognized online. If you wish your contribution to be anonymous please email info@kelownafoodbank.com

Every amount counts!


Christmas music on Castanet


Help us reach our goal of $50,000

Top Cast-a-light Donors

Personal

  1. Cast A Light Auction $7,404.63
  2. Barry Chase $4,000.00
  3. Anonymous $2,139.12

1-25 Employees

  1. Pihl Law Corporation $1,000.00
  2. J Kirby And Co. $600.00
  3. Pandosy Street Developments Ltd $500.00

26-50 Employees

  1. Kel West Carriers Ltd $1,200.00

76-100 Employees

  1. Competition Glass $625.00

Recent Challenges

  • Alana Marrington from Pandosy Street Developments Ltd. puts a challenge out (on behalf of Collett Manor) to all employees and past care recipients in the medical community, as well as those in the golf and hospitality industries.
  • Al Cosar from Kel West Carriers Ltd. puts a friendly challenge out to all transportation companies to match or better their $1200 Cast-A-Light donation.

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Cast-a-light Donors

  • Cast A Light Auction $7404.63
  • Barry Chase $4000.00
  • Anonymous $2139.12
  • Kelowna Pipe Band $2058.74
  • Gerald Goertsen $1500.00
  • Kel West Carriers Ltd $1200.00
  • David Flemming $1000.00
  • Pirjo Boucher $1000.00
  • Pihl Law Corporation $1000.00
  • Richard Skrapek $1000.00
  • Kenneth Phillips $1000.00
  • Nicola Consiglio $1000.00
  • Daryl Klassen $1000.00
  • Colin Axelson $1000.00
  • Competition Glass $625.00
  • J Kirby And Co. $600.00
  • William Farley $600.00
  • Stephen Netzlaw $600.00
  • Janet Morton $500.00
  • Jayne Brooks $500.00
  • Bruce Stone $500.00
  • Judith A Stringer $500.00
  • Bernard Morel $500.00
  • Jorin Wolf $500.00
  • Pandosy Street Developments Ltd $500.00
  • Mary Jane Slavin $500.00
  • Onsite Custom Software $500.00
  • Albert Chu $500.00
  • Joyce Brinkerhoff $500.00
  • Hugh Culver $500.00
  • Donald Greer $500.00
  • Pam Neveu $500.00
  • Shaundra Ihas $500.00
  • Bob Brandes $500.00
  • Tom Kuntz $500.00
  • Michael Sidoni $500.00
  • Cindy Roth $500.00
  • Brian Shepard $336.00
  • Thomas E Wyatt $300.00
  • Geri Davis $250.00
  • Tara Treadgold $250.00
  • Cecile OBrien $200.00
  • Alexander Campbell $200.00
  • Anonymous $200.00
  • Corey Doak $200.00
  • Brian Milligen $200.00
  • David Jones $200.00
  • Ricardo's Mediterranean $200.00
  • Joyce House Bed & Breakfast $200.00
  • Anne O'Keefe $200.00
  • James Berwick $200.00
  • Aaron Jackson $200.00
  • Theresa Leitch $200.00
  • Sandra Backman $190.46
  • Leena Phillips $150.00
  • Loren Tottier $150.00
  • James Robinson $150.00
  • Steve Wahl $135.00
  • Norm Tearoe $125.00
  • Gary Stoutenburg $100.00
  • Terry Hogan $100.00
  • Janet Stein $100.00
  • Dana Osborne $100.00
  • Inder Tumber $100.00
  • Steve Sharman $100.00
  • Sheilagh Livingstone $100.00
  • Keith Alimonti $100.00
  • Geoffrey McLaren $100.00
  • Russ Horton $100.00
  • Christina Coombes $100.00
  • Taylor venden Brink $100.00
  • Richard Provost $100.00
  • Michael Delorme $100.00
  • Cameron McIntyre $100.00
  • James Kay $100.00
  • Donald Searle $100.00
  • Kevin Mcdonnell $100.00
  • Kathy Adie $100.00
  • Dulce Fry $100.00
  • Leslie A Falk $100.00
  • Lori Field $100.00
  • PKW Management $100.00
  • Chris Jenner $100.00
  • Christine Poirier $100.00
  • Caitlyn Liberto $100.00
  • Denise Kristensen $100.00
  • Ken Murray $100.00
  • Jim and Marilyn Ivanitz $100.00
  • Aurora Corcoran $100.00
  • Ena Galloway $100.00
  • James D. Dickie $100.00
  • Darcy and Sonia Provost $100.00
  • Doug Kilgour $100.00
  • Margot Carlyle $100.00
  • Troy Mack $100.00
  • Chris Ridley $100.00
  • Chad Semeniuk $100.00
  • Deborah Wiersma $100.00
  • Christine J. Von Lokvenz $100.00
  • Monika Jaegli $100.00
  • Susanne Hirschmiller $100.00
  • Laurie Lowe $100.00
  • Zoe Bird $100.00
  • Railene Anfuso $100.00
  • Michelle Jamison $100.00
  • Anne Lacey $100.00
  • Janet Sutherland $100.00
  • Kate Carr $100.00
  • Leanna McDonald $100.00
  • Gayle Voyer $100.00
  • Lisa Michelle Taylor $100.00
  • Susan Ruck $100.00
  • Wendy Spence $100.00
  • Darryl Somcher $100.00
  • David Harman $100.00
  • Heather Baker $100.00
  • Leanne Pastore $75.00
  • Donna Kozak $60.00
  • Sellena, Shawn and Karen $60.00
  • Andrea and Ryan Saari $50.00
  • Judy Ronacher $50.00
  • Polly Palmer $50.00
  • BAI Comics $50.00
  • Paul Shearing $50.00
  • Morgan Tranfield $50.00
  • Donaleen Glosser $50.00
  • Sharon Hyatt $50.00
  • Brijesh Mathur $50.00
  • Heather Stoutenburg $50.00
  • Charles Stuart $50.00
  • Meagan Lauer $50.00
  • Denis Beaudry $50.00
  • Sandra Hinterleitner $50.00
  • Tracy Harrison $50.00
  • Patricia Bellamy $50.00
  • Tom Bell $50.00
  • Tamera Sinclair $50.00
  • Christina Street $50.00
  • Tera Pemberton $50.00
  • Lindsay Sill $50.00
  • Gwynne Harries $50.00
  • Keith Gaudreau $50.00
  • Robert Sawatzky $50.00
  • Justin Hettinga $50.00
  • Christopher Krause $50.00
  • Kris Kutny $50.00
  • Adrian Rizzo $50.00
  • Cameron Henry $50.00
  • Katie Rogers $50.00
  • Sandy Nestor $50.00
  • Heather E. Geni $50.00
  • Holly Hudson Bobyn $50.00
  • Shane Worman $50.00
  • Gail Prichard $50.00
  • Meiko Koga $50.00
  • Erin Dickieson $50.00
  • Joyce Doege $50.00
  • Lynsay Pickard $50.00
  • Anonymous $50.00
  • Gordon Guild $50.00
  • Dana Kruiper $50.00
  • Karen Tymchuk $40.00
  • Joel Yanow $36.00
  • David Greenshields $30.00
  • George Grinnell $30.00
  • Ron P. Ruppel $25.00
  • Kelvin Giesbrecht $25.00
  • Carmen Perrett $25.00
  • Mary C Smith $25.00
  • Shelley Stoochnow $25.00
  • Michelle Kooistra $25.00
  • Wealth Win At Home $25.00
  • Roberta Snow $25.00
  • Griffen Seed $25.00
  • Minh Le $20.00
  • Starla Reynolds $20.00
  • Karen Emmond $20.00
  • Carling Benson $20.00
  • Christina D Shaak $20.00
  • Susan Ross $20.00
  • Dennis Bennett $20.00
  • Dixie Beardmore $20.00
  • Corey Sullivan $20.00
  • Adam Goodwin $15.00
  • Brett Slutker $15.00
  • Lydia Ross $10.00
  • Nicholas Mcparland $10.00
  • IKirsten Harrison $10.00
  • Lisa Fennell $10.00
  • Xavier Mendoza $10.00

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About Cast-A-Light

Castanet.net has partnered with the Kelowna Community Food Bank to raise much needed funds, food, and toys for children and families in our community.

Our goal this year is to raise $50,000 with all funds going to programs at the Kelowna Community Food Bank.

Your donation to the fifth annual Cast-A-Light Campaign will provide a brighter future for those less fortunate in our community.
The Kelowna Community Food Bank will acknowledge all gifts to the Cast-A-Light Campaign. Tax receipts are mailed for donations in the amount of $10 or more with addresses provided.

View a Shaw TV segment from our 2007 campaign:




About the Food Bank

The Kelowna Community Food Bank is a self-supporting non-profit organization, raising food and funds through donations, special events, community food drives and local and national sponsors. The Food Bank is operated by a volunteer board of directors, 8 staff members and more than 100 volunteers who contribute over 20,000 hours annually, providing essential services including food collection, distribution and sorting, hamper preparation, client assistance and referrals, and special event planning and fundraising.

The Kelowna Community Food Bank was established in 1983 to provide short-term support to Kelowna families and individuals in need of temporary assistance. Since then the mission has grown to help alleviate chronic hunger and poverty in the Central Okanagan by providing our clients with a 5 to 7 day supply of healthy food on a monthly basis. Annually, we serve more than 30,000 persons including nearly 10,000 children, distributing over $2 million in food.

The Kelowna Food Bank is a member of The BC Association of Food Banks and the Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB).

1265 Ellis Street
Kelowna, BC V1Y 1Z7

Phone: 250-763-7161
Fax: 250-763-9116
Email: info@kcfb.ca
http://www.kelownafoodbank.com/



Family profiles on this page have been provided by the Kelowna Community Food Bank.



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