Sun Peaks Rotary Club members have started organizing for this year’s community care kits, which last year provided working Sun Peaks residents with grocery packages during times of financial struggle.
Along with the rotary club, another financial supporter of the initiative is Sun Peaks Community Helps (SPCH). This committee was formed during the Covid-19 pandemic when seasonal workers weren’t able to travel home or work.
The food bank SPCH started years ago dwindled in popularity and their committee is down to Mayor Al Raine and rotary members Jim Alix and Linda Hollyer.
However, there are leftover funds from community donations, Alix said. Managed mostly by Raine and himself, these were available for donation to the community care kits, an initiative fitting their mandate of making sure nobody in Sun Peaks is in need.
Contributing as well to the community care kits, Ohana Deli and Market provides food at cost, with items including pasta, rice, canned goods, potatoes and carrots.
Taking form last year
With a slow start to the season last year given the light snowfall, many new arrivals with resort and seasonal jobs were unable to work, as the lack of tourists limited the need for employees.
Some seasonal employees went six to eight months without a single paycheck between jobs, Hollyer said, and the rotary club heard that with increasing grocery costs, many in the community were struggling besides just the new arrivals.
“A lot of these kids are 18 years old when they come, and they’ve brought $500,” she said.
After being here for weeks prior, many didn’t work until Christmas and the funds they had on them dwindled fast.
“We really had a burst of activity at the beginning of December, and then it tailed right off, she said. “I didn’t get a single request after Christmas, because everybody’s working.”
Last year was successful and operations will remain similar this year, depending on how the snowfall affects work hours, Hollyer said.
How to request a community care kit
“The Rotary Club of Sun peaks is here to help you bridge the gap until your next paycheck,” Hollyer said. The community care kits program operates through word- of- mouth mostly, but locals in need can reach out to Hollyer via communitycare@rotaryclubofsunpeaks.com for a community care kit.
“They just have to let me know that they live in the area and that they do have jobs,” she said, explaining the kits are available to those from Sun Peaks down to the Heffley Lake area.
When the newly arriving seasonal employees come to Sun Peaks for the winter, she said they’ll receive a welcome bag with an apple and community care kit cards explaining the program.
Applicants can pick up their packages at Ohana, during designated periods of time provided by the organizers.
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