Page 11 - Presbyterian Connection

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Making People Smile in West Vancouver
Nan Deichmiller (above right), owner of Flowers by Nan, delivered 50 mugs of flowers Jean Lawrence about to hand out the mugs of flowers to the happy recipients. to the church, with the help of the volunteers, including Jean Lawrence (left).
By Jean Lawrence, Elder and Communication Team Member, West Vancouver Presbyterian Church in Vancouver, B.C.
Teleflora’s “Make Someone Smile” week is a charitable project where florists and volunteers deliver bou- quets of flowers in iconic “smiling”
By Amy Dunn Moscoso, Communications Coordinator, Grace Presbyterian Church in Calgary, Alta.
In October 2020, Grace Presby- terian Church in Calgary, Alta., became a satellite depot for the Calgary Food Bank, supplying 15 hampers per week to residents of the Beltline neighbourhood, where the church is found. There is high need in the area—3% of the demand from the Calgary Food Bank comes from the Belt- line (only the neighbourhood of Forrest Lawn has a higher need at 4%). Offering hampers at Grace saves users a trip to the main Cal- gary Food Bank, which is seven inconvenient kilometres away, taking over an hour to access by public transit.
Prior to the pandemic, demand for food hampers was stable. There was even a dip in demand when government benefits kicked
yellow mugs to lucky individuals in the community. Nan Deichmiller, a florist who owns Flowers by Nan in West Vancouver, par ticipates in this event. This year marks her return to the project since the interruption of the COVID-19 pandemic. In previous years, she chose to donate her bouquets to a
local care facility, but this year, she picked West Vancouver Presbyte- rian Church (WVPC) as the for tu- nate recipient.
As our congregation has been worshipping with the neighbour- ing St. David’s United Church for the past seven summers (includ- ing two only-online years), Nan
was delighted that the initiative this year involved both congregations. She is a member of West Vancou- ver Baptist Church. At the end of each year, Nan donates 10% of the amount WVPC congregation members spend on flowers for memorial services and In Memo- riam, etc., back to the church.
It took Nan two days to as- semble all the bouquets and, after supplying them to congregations, elders and members from both WVPC and St. David’s took the extra mugs of beautiful flowers to people shut in or recovering from recent surgery, which made eve- ryone who received them smile!
Increased Demand for Calgary Food Bank Hampers
in. However, when those benefits ended, demand for the Emergency Food Hamper program surged by 44% between 2020 and 2021. During the first three months of 2022, the demand was 24% great- er than the first three months of 2021. To help meet the demand, the Calgary Food Bank asked sat- ellite locations to increase weekly hamper loads.
Grace shifted to accommodate the increased need by increasing the weekly hampers from 15 to 20. Program Coordinator Marlene Dohertysaiditwasanadjustment that volunteers embraced to sup- por t neighbours in need. “Over time, we have built relationships and understand their par ticular needs.” The offerings now also include donations of laundry soap, dish soap, etc., so people can save funds for other items.
As the cost of housing, utili- ties and food increases, demand for the Calgary Food Bank is ex- pected to grow. Maria Topolnyski, Program Coordinator for Calgary Food Bank, explained that, “All too often, food is the first thing cut from family budgets, and while we
are working to meet the needs of Calgarians, we cannot do it alone. Through community suppor ters like Grace Presbyterian Church, we can fight hunger and its root causes together.”
Jan Dewar volunteers at the Grace satellite location and said that it was a way to stay con- nected during the pandemic, when many volunteering oppor tunities were restricted, while suppor ting the community around the church. “It’s a pretty simple task, sor ting and assembling food hampers, butitmeansalottohouseholds who might be struggling through a tough time in their lives. Partici- pating, even in a background way, lessens my sense of isolation,” she said. “I can’t fix the reasons why someone is turning to a Food Bank, but I can, in a small way, make it easier for their household to have enough food while they deal with other things in their life.”
Grace’s mission is to grow disciples of Jesus Christ to love our neighbours and effect social change, and that means being a good neighbour. “Neighbours help each other,” Jan said. “We are
part of the neighbourhood. What should we do? Be who you are; use what you have; do what mat- ters. What do we have? We have a building. We have a near-down- town location. We have volunteers and wonderful facilities staff that are all about solutions. They figure out how to adapt the space and make it work safely for everyone. It’s great to be surrounded by that positivity.”
Thursdays are Food Bank Day at Grace, a day when volunteers, community members and organ- izers come together over food as neighbours.
For more information on the Calgary Food Bank, visit calgaryfoodbank.com and for more information on Grace Presbyterian Church (and volunteering opportunities!), visit GraceChurchCalgary.com.