The Rotary Club of Fort St. John is pleased to announce $22,917.17 was raised and donated from this year’s Drive Thru Breakfast in support of senior programs and projects in Fort St. John.
Funds are supporting four well-deserving non-profit organizations that have been working hard to provide food, home services, and social spaces to meet the needs of our city’s quickly growing elderly population. The organizations that are benefitting from this year’s proceeds are:
North Peace Seniors Housing Society: A $13,000 donation to upgrade and build a washroom in the Solarium at Apartment 2. We are honoured to provide this for seniors, allowing them to have a better time and convenient access to a washroom facility while enjoying this wonderful gathering space.
The Salvation Army Fort St. John: A $5,000 donation to support meals for six seniors through the Food Bank for a year in 2022. We are honoured to be able to provide this for seniors in need, allowing them to have access to nutritious food and the services the Salvation Army team provides.
Fort St. John and Area Senior Care Foundation: A $3,300 donation will feed 10 seniors for a month through the Meals On Wheels program. We are honoured to provide this for seniors, allowing them to have consistent access to home-cooked meals and allowing them to have personal interactions with the Meals On Wheels volunteers.
Fort St. John and Area Better At Home: A $1,617.17 donation will provide 10 seniors with four snow removals from their homes this winter. We are honoured to provide this for seniors, allowing them to have continued access to the community and keeping them safe from strenuous winter conditions.
“Our members focused on giving back to as many organizations as we could this year to help different seniors and families in need,” says Vince van Wieringen, President, Rotary Club of Fort St. John. “Making sure our seniors have food and a helping hand that sustains their nourishment, healthy living, and social interactions is important to us all in Fort St. John. We would like to thank our sponsors and supporters for their tremendous generosity to enhance the quality of life for seniors in our city today, and for generations to come.”
More than 50 Rotarians and friends of Rotary volunteered 700-plus hours to organize this year’s Drive Thru Breakfast held on Sept. 9. We served a record-breaking 1,620 sandwiches to residents and businesses!
Thank you to Platinum Sponsors Techmation Electric & Controls and Fort Motors, and to all our Event Sponsors for their generosity, which keeps Rotary doing great things in Fort St. John: Action Property Management, Alaska Hi-Way Auto Body, Alaska Hi-Way Auto Glass, Alaska Highway News, Bold Promotions, Bounce Radio, Brauns’ Flooring, Butler Farm Equipment, Canadian Grind, Canadian Tire, DGS, Epscan, GFL Environmental, Ideal Office Solutions, Leah French, Micsuds Truck and Car Wash, MLA Dan Davies, MNP, Moose FM, Move FM, Murray GM, Pat’s Auto Supply, Pimm’s Production, Sign Line, Sterling Management, and Your Plate Or Mine.
What the organizations are saying:
“Just a week or two ago, a 68-year-old emailed me and said, ‘I can hardly pay for my rent, are you able to help out?’ It was someone who had never come here before, and now is reaching out in a new way. Absolutely we can help. We said, ‘Don’t just come get a Christmas hamper but sign up for the food bank and come access our services regularly so you can still keep paying rent.’ Those aren’t uncommon stories. When a person has worked as hard as they have and as long as they have, that shouldn’t have to be their situation, but there are so many different circumstances that get them there. You get older, you have higher medical costs. Do you pay for food, or do you pay for medication? We’re that safety net. We’re there to make sure that people aren’t left on their own.” - Jared Braun, Executive Director, Salvation Army Fort St. John
“For our commitment right now, we have approximately 8,800 meals a year to a figure of $96,800 annually because of inflation and the high cost of food. Our needs vary as our numbers fluctuate. Every dollar we get is a dollar we don’t have, so we’re grateful for every one of them. It is with thankful hearts that I and all board members of the FSJ & Area Senior Care Foundation want to thank the Rotarians who work so tirelessly to raise funds to help those in need, and who supported us in our endeavour to nourish the vulnerable senior population of the area through our Meals On Wheels program.” - Roxanne Chmelyk, President, Fort St. John and Area Senior Care Foundation
“We at North Peace Seniors Housing are trying hard to promote a community style of living, not just apartments. By fixing up this Solarium, it gives them one more place to gather with friends, family, or with fellow tenants. It’s somewhere where they can relax, they can have a game of cards, they can enjoy each other’s company and carry on that community. Right now, with Covid, that’s so important. This donation from Rotary is really appreciated and helping us reach our goals without taking away from tenants.” - Gail Weber, President, North Peace Seniors Housing Society
“We are grateful for Rotary’s support. We have a lot of seniors who are still in their own homes so this makes them capable of staying longer with the help of snow removal, lawn care, and keeping our seniors actively living the best life they can. Rotary definitely helps contribute to making that happen.” - Brook Goulet, Service Coordinator, Fort St John and Area Better At Home.
ARTICLE SOURCE: Alaska Highway News