(Theresa Qadri received a bouquet of flowers and a standing ovation to thank her for the many years of service and all she does to support the Stittsville Food Bank. Photos: Stittsville Central)
The evening of May 16th was a night of celebration to honour the volunteers and donors of the Stittsville Food Bank. Led by Shawn McGrath as the MC, many thanks were shared for all that the Stittsville Food Bank does for our community from Mayor Sutcliffe and Councillor Gower.
A moving speech was shared by Emily, who told of her family’s experience using the food bank. For over ten years her Mom used the food bank to supplement the family’s income and to be able to feed her children. In different months throughout that time, the family was always treated with compassion and the friendly faces were always present. The food bank was especially generous during holiday seasons. Due to having the food bank available for the family to access, Emily was able to participate in concert and jazz at school, but more importantly and incredibly, Emily was able to attend the University of Ottawa to enroll in Biomedical Science. Achieving her Masters of Chemistry, Emily now works at Health Canada as a team lead. She thanked her Mom, the amazing support system at the Stittsville Food Bank, many of the volunteers and special place for helping people in the community.
Mayor Sutcliffe said, “the Stittsville Food Bank is important for people facing hardship, mental health and allows new arrivals to put food on their table while they adjust to life in a new country. The food bank provides an opportunity to do something meaningful. The action of volunteers helped 23,000 people. It is a struggle to make that happen – a challenge day in and day out. Thank you Theresa and the incredible volunteers. You are the reason they keep coming back because the people are treated with respect. I thank all the volunteers – you are the heartbeat of community.”
“One out of seven people use the food bank – and I’m not sure people realize how many use the Stittsville Food Bank. To the donors, businesses and organizations, thank you. Volunteers are like being in a soccer match, a few on the field – and more looking in form the stands – teamwork – thank you for being the players. There is a large range of people who volunteer their time. No-one is salaried – all volunteers working so hard. Thank you!”, shared Councillor Gower.
Theresa stated, “Over $400,000K this year and more than 700 people using the food bank in April than the same month in 2023! So, Thank You, nothing can be done without you.”
Just some of the businesses and organizations who were recognized during the evening:
- Wellings of Stittsville
- Stittsville Villa
- Stittsville Scouts and Girl Guides
- Stittsville Lions Club
- Foley Peeter Home Team
- Food Basics
- Stittsville Legion
- St. Stephen’s Elementary School
- Gerry Kroll
- The Turcotte Family
- St. Thomas Anglican Church
- Jo-Jo’s Pizza
Many of the volunteers were also recognized with an Apple Award for the generous contribution of time to the food bank:
- Rita Clark
- Lisa Hobbs
- Janice LeBlanc
- Nicole Gardner
- Natalie Pearce
- Greg Ross
- Kim Bonin
- Jackie and Paul Mason
- Greg Ross
- Jill Southgate
- Manon Miron
- Kevin Chappell
- Stella and Ruby
- Olivia Rollins
- Julie Labonte (Outstanding Youth Volunteer)
During the awards being presented, Theresa took a moment to point out, “the Sittsville Scouts and Girl Guides have held the annual Apple Drive in support of the food bank over the years. They would be lucky if they collected $500 per day when they started the first time. Now the sales have increased to $5,000 for their Apple Drive – amazing!”
Theresa ended the evening with, “I am so proud to have everyone who does so much for the Stittsville Food Bank. I can’t Thank You enough.”
Well done!
GREAT WORK BY GREAT PEOPLE! THANK YOU ALL.