Coldest Night Of The Year & Other Stuff

Coldest Night Of The Year did not take place on "the coldest night", not even close.  It was a balmy +5, and very wet.  That's it, it was the wettest night of the year.  However, many faithful walkers came out and helped us raise 26,000+.  It took a while this year to get the event off the ground, but in the end, it was amazing.  The picture above if of the team from Worlee, who raised close to $5000.  Thank you to them and all the other teams who participated.

We finally acquired some industrial pallet shelving!  Through a good friend we received 100 ft.of shelving plus installation.  Alain found this for $1000 and covered half the cost.  He also had his installers come in and install it.  A big thank you to Alain.  This shelving has really helped us maximize our warehouse space.  It doesn't look so cluttered anymore.

I am looking forward to this new year and the opportunities it brings.  Thank you to all who contribute with time, expertise and money to make this happen.

On Rock Christmas Chaos

Christmas is always BIG at On Rock.  Tuesday Dec. 15 The community Diner celebrated Christmas with over 70 guests,  The food included Turkey and Moose(No reindeer), stuffing, etc.  It was a great dinner orchestrated by Joanne, Rose and their amazing team of volunteers.  All the kids got to visit with Santa and get a present.  A good time was had by all.

On Dec. 19th we did our 10th Christmas box distribution.  We do 190 boxes every week lately, so on Saturday we did 190 boxes times 3, four or five, depending on the size of your family.  Smaller families got 3 boxes, one for presents and two for food.  Every family got a box of presents and the remainder were food.  Our goal is to give our families that struggle all year and "over the top"  Christmas experience.  We had volunteers working tirelessly for over a week before the big day.  We received several phone calls from surprised families. thanking us for our generosity.  We surprised them,.... and that is a good thing.

A Big thanks goes out to our volunteers in the Diner and the Food Bank.  Without you On Rock is nothing.

I want to thank West Island Mommies, Marmalade Café, Monster Gym, Moksha Yoga West Island Crossfit De L'Ouest, Pierrefonds Animal Hospital, and so many other companies and organizations who stepped up and supplied us with gifts and food to make this Christmas and the months to come special.

I also want to give a very special Thank You to the Tenequip Foundation for donating $15,000 when we needed it most.  It is only because of people like those mentioned above that we can make the impact we do.  Like I have been saying for years, "Together, we can make a difference".  And we do.

Peace,

K

RAH 2015 was a great success!

This Years Riders Against Hunger event was a great success!  We had 70 bikes and about 100 people participate.  We raised $14,000.  The day was amazing, starting with the weather, then the buzz as riders collected.  I am sure more than one rider gained weight on the ride with constant food access at every stop.

Mark Bray won the poker tournament with four 2's.  Last year his wife won, which is just crazy.  Thank you to Air Canada for the tickets, I think their is another Hawaii trip in Mark and Phil's future.

I want to thank the Southern Cruisers, Hilarious Riders and Scooter Trash and BACA for making this ride.  It was great to have the support of local clubs.

We had so many sponsors this year which made the ride a great success.  I would like to especially thank Worlee, Sparta Pewter, Elan, & Air Canada for your continued involvement in this event.  I look forward to next year.

Peace,

K

27 Pallets

27 Pallets, that is how much product we have in stock.  It is amazing.  Last year at this time, we were struggling to find enough food to take care of the demand we were facing.  This year we have been blessed with food from various sources, ranging from individuals to large food donors.  We are able to move our numbers up.  Our Maximum is now 220 families and we are helping a food bank off island that helps 30 families a week.  This is truly awesome.

As of January, we are also making 220 lunches a week for elementary school kids who come to school without a lunch. 

As of April 7th, the diner will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays, again.   We have some new chefs lined up, which should be pretty exciting.

The challenge that we face is financial.  We are exploring various ways of alleviating this stress, which include fund raising and relocating our warehouse.  If anyone reading this can help, it would be greatly appreciated.

Peace,

K

Happy New Year

The New Year is upon us.  Happy New Year!  2014 was a crazy year.  It was busy and it went by at a ridiculous pace, at least that is how it felt.  We made some new alliances that will have a long term effect on the work that we do.  West Island Community Shares partnered with us, which will be a great help financially.  We appreciate their endorsement of our work.  We also had a great year of media exposure, which has benefited us in so many ways, including new revenue, volunteers and even board members.

Our Christmas basket initiative was a great success, even with our "turkey challenge" with Walmart, which garnered us more media exposure, and we ended up with more turkeys that we had hoped for.  Over the Christmas delivery weekend, we distributed $53,000 in food and $25,000 in gifts to 205 families.  Amazing!

Now, we look forward to the challenges and prospects of this new year.  We are ready for the ride.  Please join us, as we strive to make a dent in the poverty issues of our West Island.

Peace,

K

It was a good summer

Here we are mid-September.  This past summer turned out to be a good one in the food bank.  In late April it looked like we were in for some tough sledding through the spring and summer.  Our food supplies were very low.  For the first time in 9 years, I reached out to the media with our need and they stepped up big time.  The Suburban started the media storm, followed by The Chronicle and West Island Gazette.  Then CBC Radio, Global News, CTV News and CHOM came to the party.  The West Island was buzzing.  We asked that Companies, Churches, organizations, and individuals help us raise food.  The community stepped up, big time.  By the end of the drive, which lasted over a month, our shelves were full.  We collected more food than we did last Christmas.

One of the greatest stories involved an eight year old named Dustin.  He saw the CTV news piece and told his parents he would spend the summer collecting cans, returning them and buying food for the food bank.  He did just that.  People around him became inspired and donated money to his cause.  People from Ontario and the US sent him money.  By the end of the summer he had spent more than $500 on food for the food bank.  This was HIS idea.

I changed my mind, it was a GREAT summer!

Peace,

K

Drop off points for Non-Perishables

West Island non-perishable food drop off  points;
On Rock Community Services,  9554 Gouin West, Pierrefonds
Sanavita, in Fairview Mall
Monster Gym, in Fitness City
Le Fitness Loft,  2060 Trans Canada, Dorval
Mourelatos,  4957 Boul Saint-Jean, Pierrefonds
Village de Valeurs,  3399 Des Sources, DDO
BMO; (as of 3pm)
Kirkland, 2867 Boul St Charles 

Fairview (in the mall)

DDO, 3761 Sources 

Pointe-Claire,  6500 Transcanada

3399 Des Sources Blvd, Dollard-Des-Ormeaux (Montreal), QC H9B 1Z8 - See more at: http://www.villagedesvaleurs.com/Find-A-Store.aspx?z=Saisissez%20la%20ville%20ou%20le%20code%20postal#sthash.ra1wPcRN.dpuf

3399 Des Sources Blvd, Dollard-Des-Ormeaux (Montreal), QC H9B 1Z8 - See more at: http://www.villagedesvaleurs.com/Find-A-Store.aspx?z=Saisissez%20la%20ville%20ou%20le%20code%20postal#sthash.ra1wPcRN.dpuf

3399 Des Sources Blvd, Dollard-Des-Ormeaux (Montreal), QC H9B 1Z8 - See more at: http://www.villagedesvaleurs.com/Find-A-Store.aspx?z=Saisissez%20la%20ville%20ou%20le%20code%20postal#sthash.ra1wPcRN.dpuf

On Rock's 7th Annual Wine Tasting

May 31st will be the 7th Annual Wine Tasting!  This year we will be sampling Italian wines from the Venetian region, with appropriate food pairings.  Tickets are $90.   La Trattorria will be providing some of the Italian dishes.  As in past years the event will be held at the Community Center East, 9665, boul. Gouin Ouest Pierrefonds (QC) H8Y 1R4.  You can reserve tickets or a table by emailing me at kim@onrock.org.  You can also pay online at, http://onrock.org/single_donation.html Just write "Wine Tasting" in the comment section. There are only 120 tickets and last year we sold out before the event.  So, reserve quickly. I hope to see you there.

Peace,

K

The Coldest Night of the Year!

It is that time of year again!  Feb. 22nd is our Coldest Night of the Year 2/5/10 km walk for the On Rock Community Services Food Bank.  Our goal this year is to raise $30,000.  We need team leaders and walkers.  What could be more fun than taking a walk in the cool February air with over 100 other people and raising money for those in our community who need us.  Come and join us!  Check out coldestnightoftheyear.org/location/montrealwest

Peace,

K

Christmas Distribution 2013

When I think about our Christmas distribution this year, I am blown away.  First, by the dedication and enthusiasm of our volunteers.  There were over 40 (I think over 50, but I didn't count and I don't like inflating numbers) volunteers running around filling 181 boxes with food stuffs for our families.  Many of these volunteers also delivered boxes, some making a few trips, to make sure that our families received their Christmas baskets. The weather was dicey at best, and yet they were willing to make those extra trips for our friends in need.

Secondly, the amount of food that came in allowed us to really bless our community.  Over $50,000 in food was distributed.  Most families received two or three boxes to get them through this holiday season.  One lady, upon receiving 2 large boxes, became emotional and was very grateful for this moment of light in her rather gloomy experience.  We also distributed over $25,500 in gifts.  Many of our friends can't afford regular life, let alone Christmas gifts for their kids.  Parents show amazing gratitude, when they are able to give their kids gifts.

On top of all this good news, an anonymous donor offered us $10,000 if we could find someone to match it  This week, a matching donor came forward!  I can't wait to see what the new year will bring.  Have a Merry Christmas.

Peace,

K 

In The News...

Here is the latest article focusing on our Food Bank.  Merry Christmas Everyone!

http://www.westislandchronicle.com/Community/2013-12-17/article-3547193/Making-ends-meet/1

Peace,

K

Crazy, Amazing and a Little Scary...

To say that a lot has gone on since my last blog would be an understatement.  There are 3 major changes that we are thrilled with. 

First, We now have a gas stove and fryer in our kitchen.  Due to a generous donor we have converted our kitchen to gas.  For those of you who have experienced cooking with gas, it is an amazing upgrade. 

Second, The amazing truck you see in the picture above, is ours.  It was donated to us by Hockey Helps the Homeless, and the graphics were donated by Pazazz Printing.  This means, no more beloved green bus.  With the food supplies we have been receiving, the green bus was becoming very impractical. 

And last but not least, we have now expanded our space, officially, to 9,000 sq. feet.  We were unofficially using 4,000 that the landlord couldn't rent.  In the last year we grew to the point where we couldn't live without it.  In the last month, he found a renter, but wanted to give us first shot at it.  After much discussion we arrived at an amazing deal, that only adds $2000 a month to our rent.  We are very happy that we no longer live under the cloud of "will he rent it?"  This does create other challenges, like raising the funds to pay for it.  We are trusting that this will work out. 

We are now serving between 185 & 200 families every week.  Sometimes I wonder how we got here.  It is daunting and yet also very exciting to see that we can make a difference in people's lives by showing them love, through the very practical act of providing food.

Thank you to all who serve here, whether in action or with financial support.  We could not make a difference without you.

Peace,

K

$25X500 Challenge

 Check out the story in The Montreal Times last week.  Help us to continue making a difference by getting involved in the $25X500 Challenge 

Cooking With Gas!

We were blessed with donations of a commercial gas stove and a brand new french fry vat.  We were further blessed with a donation to cover the cost of having gas installed in our facility and equipment hook up. The plumber is in today giving us our gas feed.  Two more steps and we are cooking with gas. This means we can more efficiently serve our friends who frequent the diner and allows us to expand our services.  We are excited about these very important additions and our diner staff are thrilled as well.  Thank you to those who have contributed to our work in this community.  We could not do this without our volunteers and those who give financially to ORCS.

CTV and other news

CTV News came in a few weeks back and did a story for their Power Of One segment for the Sunday News.  I must say, we could not have asked for a better piece on our work.  A big Thank you to Maya Johnson. Check it out here:  http://montreal.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=914983&playlistId=1.1257924&binId=1.815

In other news, today Biotek is here retrofitting all of our refrigeration units with new DC motors.  This will save us a ton of money on our electric bill.  John & Linda at Biotek have become awesome supporters of our work and we appreciate it very much.

We continue to struggle financially.  We really do need people who will invest in this work on a monthly basis.  If you can help, please contact me.  Our Office Administrator and I have not been paid since January.  We cannot continue this way.

Please keep us in prayer.

Peace,

K

Lots Going On

I have not blogged since December 4th!  That is crazy.  Life has been so busy.  We spent much of November and December gearing up for the Christmas delivery for our families.  The Christmas boxes were amazing again this year.  We had about 35 volunteers here putting the boxes together and delivering.  Once again the Pierrefonds Police department helped.  It is always fun to have them involved in serving the community this way.

As soon as the Christmas food drive was over we jumped into high gear on the Coldest Night of the Year, a walk-a-thon in the middle of February.  We did this in partnership with Blue Sea Philanthropy in Toronto.  Our Goal was to raise $25,000.  A lofty goal, we thought.  In the end with 22 teams and about 120 walkers, we raised $32,000!  It was a lot of fun for all involved, as a sea of yellow tuques marched through the community.

We are now gearing up for our Wine tasting, which takes place June 1.  We are also starting a fund raising campaign to find 500 people who will donate $20 a month to help serve the poor in our community on a regular basis.  We need to develop a solid financial base in order to guarantee our long term service to the poor in our community.  We are serving 170+ households in our community totaling about 600 people.  This is a big responsibility, and we take it very seriously.  If you are not involved in supporting us, please consider partnering with us.  You can contact me at kim@onrock.org.

Peace,

K

Here is a picture of our new fridge and freezer. We have been struggling with a great problem this past year. We have more frozen food and cold food than our current units can handle. Thanks to Zeller's closing sales, we were able to pick up these for $7000. They are worth a lot more than that and are in great shape. It is going to cost about $2000 to have them dismantled, shipped and installed. So, for $9000 we solved a large problem. Now the challenge is to raise the money to pay for them. If you would like to help out in this way you can send a cheque, or do it through Canada Helps, online. The tab is a click away, on our home page. Just write, "Fridge&freezer" in a comment or on the cheque. This equipment was much needed and will go a long way to enabling us to serve our community better. Have an amazing Christmas! K

When It Rains...

An old saying, "When it rains, it pours". Sometimes this happens at the Food Bank, and this week was one of those times. A company that helps us out with frozen goods, challenged our capacity last week by dropping off 6 pallets of frozen cold cuts, pasta and sauce. At the same time, several individuals and churches dropped off boxes of food. On top of this Moisson Montreal, our weekly supplier, gave us an abundance of food. We had so much stuff come in, we could not give it all away. We have stock for next week already! We gave away $17,715 worth of food this week. We were also able top share with our friends at Fonds D'Aide, another food bank serving our area. That is amazing. We are blessed. Thank you to all who contributed. Peace, K

Riders Against Hunger Update

The "Ride", took place September 15th as advertised. It was an amazing day all the way around. 32 riders took part in our 249km ride going from On Rock to Hawkesbury, St. Eugen and Coteau du Lac, mainly on small roads. It was quite a spectacle to see 32 bikes riding in formation through small towns and even on the short stretches of highway. The riders seemed to enjoy the day, ending with a bbq at the food bank and lot's of great prizes supplied by our sponsors listed on the banner in the above photo. A big thank you to all our sponsors, riders and those who helped plan and volunteered during the day. We have raised $7,750 so far. Some money continues to come in. Next year promises to bigger and better. Thank you to the Dragon Riders for supporting this event in a big way. Peace, K

Riders Against Hunger

This has been a crazy week and next week will be even crazier! The Ride is next Saturday. All of the last minute details are bombarding my brain like a scatter gun. I am really excited for this event. Hopefully it is the first of many. I am not sure how many riders will show up, but I can tell you that the prizes available to all who ride are awesome. Air anada tickets, a snow board, a tent, a $1400 watch, just to name a few. The next challenge is finding volunteers. We need a lot of help in various areas from registration, to photographing bikers. I know it will come together, it always does. If you would like to volunteer, just give me a call, we will find a place for you. If you Ride, then sign up and ride for a great cause, and the chance to win some great prizes. Peace, K