Ha-Shilth-Sa readers are invited to the Bread & Butter Loonie-Twoonie FUN!draising Event, which takes place on Saturday, Nov. 30 at Gyro Youth Centre. All proceeds go to the Bread of Life soup kitchen, which serves nutritious meals five days a week to those who are struggling in poverty or unable to makes ends meet.
For those affected by addictions or family crises or long-term health issues, there is always a place at the table at the Bread of Life.
A Loonie-Twoonie is a series of raffles that cost either $1 or $2 per ticket for a chance to win a prize. There are 26 raffles in this series. Raffle prizes were donated by local merchants and individuals who have been very generous in their support, said Debora Steel, editor of Ha-Shilth-Sa newspaper, which is hosting the event.
“They didn’t hesitate to become involved and contribute,” said Steel, who is also a Bread of Life board member. “Port Alberni and the surrounding First Nation communities are made up of kind and giving people who care deeply about the well-being of others. We thank all who have contributed from the bottom of our hearts.”
You can check out some of the prizes available online at http://www.hashilthsa.com/gallery/bread-and-butter-loonie-twoonie-event-prizes-draws-nov-30-gyro-centre.
Besides providing meals–about 25,000 each year–the Bread of Life also delivers much-needed support services, said Roy Gunter-Smith, president of the board of directors. Foremost is the nursing station run by the Vancouver Island Health Authority and the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council.
The nurses deliver a range of services to Bread of Life clients, and on Fridays, one local doctor holds a clinic for people unable to find a family physician.
“They have an office in the back. This is the perfect place to go for people who are unwell and in need.”
It costs money to operate such a busy place. The Bread of Life depends on community support to keep food on the table and the lights on. (Our Facebook Events page can be viewed here: https://www.facebook.com/events/317620248381256/?ref_dashboard_filter=calendar )
“On behalf of the NTC, we would like to hold up our hands to our NTC staff, individuals and organizations like the Bread of Life that support our people who are struggling on a daily basis,” said NTC President Deb Foxcroft. “We would like to recognize and support everyone's generous contributions and efforts to help our Nuu-chah-nulth people who live away from home, especially the soup kitchen that serves our people on a daily basis.”
Gunter-Smith said other than a (much-appreciated) in-kind donation of garbage pickup from the City of Port Alberni, the Bread of Life receives no government funding. The City has also donated the use of the Gyro Youth Centre for the Loonie/Twoonie fundraising event.
“Everything we have comes from people who come in and drop off a few dollars or leave a nice cheque,” he said.
Many of those people are connected with local businesses or from the many service groups in the Alberni Valley.
“That’s where all of our funding and support comes from; it’s the community.”
Gunter-Smith said “community” includes all five of the major grocery outlets, who provide generous discounts to make sure the Bread of Life gets full bang for the bucks donated.
“We are well-supported by our groceries. They also donate a lot of food. That’s why our cook, Jim Steel, has to be very creative, because he never knows what is coming in, and he always manages to make nutritious meals out of it.”
The society also operates Cornerstones Thrift Shop, which, along with being a fundraising operation, is also a source of emergency clothing and household items for Bread of Life clients. Cornerstones is located in the building next to the Bread of Life Centre.
NTC Vice-President Ken Watts added his thanks for the range of services provided to people in need, including some Nuu-chah-nulth-aht living off-reserve.
“I would like to thank the many organizations such as the Bread of Life Soup Kitchen who continue to serve our people and go above and beyond the call of duty to improve the quality of life for many. The work that you do is important and if there is any way we as Nuu-chah-nulth can support this work, we will continue to do so.”
Gyro Youth Centre is located at 3245 Seventh Avenue. Ticket sales begin at 9 a.m., with draws beginning at 1 p.m. There will be door prizes too within each hour leading up to the draws. And we have scheduled some entertainment by Singer/Songwriter Misha Monroe.
Gunter-Smith said while he had seen notices for Loonie-Twoonie events, he had no idea what they involved.
“Deb [Steel] explained it to us. I plan to be there right away,” he said.
Other Bread of Life board members are working hard on upcoming events that will also benefit the organization. Tickets are now available for A Christmas Carol, which takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 30, at Trinity Church.
The dramatized reading features CBC Radio personalities Jo-Ann Roberts, host of All-Points West, and Bob McDonald, host of Quirks & Quarks, plus a supporting cast of local performers.
Pamela Day, Anglican Church representative on the Bread of Life board, said the stage version of the Christmas classic was actually created by author Charles Dickens.
“It’s a shortened version that he wrote, and he went out and read it to raise money for the poor,” Day said. “The CBC started doing it about 20 years ago. This will be the third time we’ve done it here, although not three years in a row.”
The Bread of Life had its origins in the basement of the Trinity Church, when it was St. Alban’s Anglican Church. After operating for a short time in rented space on Lower Argyle Street, the Bread of Life Society purchased the former Solda’s Restaurant on Third Avenue in 1996, where it has operated ever since.
Tickets for A Christmas Carol are $10, and can be purchased at Rollin Art Centre, or call Trinity Church at 250-724-4921. Last-minute tickets will also be available at the door, subject to space, and they are also accepting donations of warm socks, non-perishable food items, and, of course, cash.
Board member Minnie Hornidge, pastor of Alberni Valley United Church, said there is a Turkey Dinner at her own United Church on Nov. 30, sponsored by local Masons (all proceeds to Bread of Life), as well as the annual Festival of Choirs on Dec. 3, 4 and 5, with proceeds split between Bread of Life and the Salvation Army Food Bank.
“It’s very important. A lot of our donations of foodstuffs and, especially our financial donations, come in at this time of year. We use what we receive to help cover our costs for the whole year.”
