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Community Kitchen finds much needed warehouse space

Roller Derby team gives up building rental to help Christmas Hamper Program
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Volunteers pack Christmas food hampers for needy families the Alice McKay Building in 2020. Last year the Cloverdale Community Kitchen’s annual hamper program served around 500 families and this year organizers expect that number to climb to more than 600 families. (Photo: Malin Jordan)

The Cloverdale Community Kitchen has found the warehouse space it needed.

The Kitchen needed an open space of about 7,000 sq. ft. in order to facilitate the delivery, sorting, and packing of donations for their annual Christmas Hamper Program.

The space, however, also needed to have doors that could accommodate a forklift. The Kitchen needs to use a forklift to help offload trucks so volunteers can help fill hundreds of Christmas hampers.

The Kitchen usually has the Alice McKay Building booked, but for various reasons, the building had not been booked on time and a Women’s Roller Derby team had instead booked the space.

Last week, Kelsey Swanson, the City of Surrey’s Parks and Rec. director for Cloverdale, reached out to the roller derby team.

SEE ALSO: Cloverdale Community Kitchen adopts two low-income seniors’ complexes for Christmas outreach

VIDEO: Cloverdale Christmas Hamper program wraps up another year of Christmas giving

SEE ALSO: Community Kitchen in need of warehouse space to help with Christmas hamper program

“She told them that we were looking for space and explained what the Christmas Hamper Program was and they have kindly taken their Christmas Break early to help us!” exclaimed Jen Temple, one of the organizers for the hamper program. “They wanted to help make a difference in the community. We are so grateful. It’s a miracle that it even happened. It’s a blessing.”

On Oct. 13, Community Kitchen director Matthew Campbell said hamper registrations will open up in early November and registrations will stay open for three weeks. He expects the Kitchen to give out about 600 to 700 hampers this year.

“We’re gearing up for it and we’re looking for volunteers. We have several already, but we still need many more.”

Campbell said volunteers are needed to sort donations and pack hampers, to distribute donation boxes to businesses and to collect the boxes, and to organize hamper pick up.

The Christmas hamper program is now in its 30th year.



editor@cloverdalereporter.com

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Malin Jordan

About the Author: Malin Jordan

Malin is the editor of the Cloverdale Reporter.
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