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

Riders Against Hunger

It has been a while since I have posted. The summer has been very busy. Food supplies started drying up in June, which means more focus on finding other resources so that we can serve our families well. I have been focusing a lot of attention on our Riders Against Hunger motorcycle ride/poker run, which takes place Sept 15th. Networking with Bikers and clubs(I love my job), designing the route and finding prizes has been non-stop. It looks like it is shaping up to be a great event. One that will make those who miss it, want to kick themselves later. This is our first year, so I am very grateful to Bill Crawford of the Eden Community Food Bank in Mississauga for helping us out with his experience and resources. We look forward to an amazing day, great riding and awesome prizes. I'll let you know how it goes.... Peace, K