26
JANUARY 2018
Educational Farm Seeks Financial Sponsorship to Grow
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iving young people and adults roots in the earth while supporting community is the goal of Favour Valley Acres, Deborah and Randy Vanderwolf’s unique educational program. Having passed the pilot stage and demonstrated value to the community, the project is now seeking more supporters to grow and flourish. Located just south of Nanaimo, the 2.6 acre farm offers a handson introduction to food production. There is a meeting space, small animal husbandry, permaculture gardening, and utilization of home-grown produce. The land was purchased by Deborah and Randy Vanderwolf in 2009, a purchase which Deborah describes as a spiritual inspiration. “We have a passion for growing th i ngs, bu i ld i ng th ings, raising animals, and teaching others what we have learned, and sharing what God has blessed us with.” The couple built their log house in 2010, which included meeting space to host youth programs. The couple recognized that many young people are growing up disconnected from the land and without basic skills that earlier generations took for granted. In addition, many urban adults
Randy and Deborah Vanderwolf both grew up on Canadian prairie farms and now want to share their experience
“We have a passion for growing things, building things, raising animals, and teaching others what we have learned.” do not know the process that brings food to the supermarket. “Kids need these life skills. They also need down time away from their screens. Being on the land is a stabilizing influence,” Deborah says.
MID ISLAND LIQUOR a division of Mid Island Co-op
At present, the farm is used by serval organizations which include the Social Justice class from John Barsby Secondary. Produce grown at the farm is donated. There are more groups that want to utilize the farm, Deborah said, but the couple are unable to expand the program without financial support. Running the farm is a full-time job, so the project needs to hire help in order to further educational programs. “The momentum we’ve had is great and everyone sees the value in this but we need major sponsors to keep going and growing,” Deborah says.
1401 Alberni Highway, Parksville, BC
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In addition to the log home, the farm currently has paddocks, out-buildings, and is home to chickens, ducks, three Nigerian Dwarf goats, and four Alpacas. Three-quarters of an acre is devoted to the educational gardens program. Current needs to keep the program going include recruiting major sponsors plus ongoing monthly sponsorships to cover operating costs. A Van is also needed for distribution of produce. To cover the costs, $12,000 to $15,000 in annual donations is required. The farm also needs donations
of professional services, including website development, social media promotion, and accounting. An especially urgent need is help to establish the farm as a charitable organization, so Favour Valley Acres can issue tax receipts for donations. “A lot of people like what we do but we need more support,” Vanderwolf says. She hopes going public with the farm’s needs for financial and volunteer support will encourage donations. For more information or to offer support, please visit the website at http://favourvalleyacres. weebly.com/.
MID ISLAND CO-OP OPENS NEW LIQUOR STORE IN PARKSVILLE Mid Island Liquor: New Division Created To Oversee Liquor Store Development
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NOW OPEN!
Morning chores at FavourValley include caring for a lively herd of Nigerian Dwarf Goats
ARKSVILLE – Serving its members and customers for nearly 60 years, Mid Island Co-op has evolved over the decades, routinely opening new outlets and introducing services and product lines that both serve the community and help to make the business more profitable. The opening of an expansive new liquor store near its Alberni Highway location in Parksville is the latest example of the company’s brand of forward thinking. “Operating under the brand Mid Island Liquor, we’re going to be opening stand alone liquor stores – with the first example on the Alberni Highway, ideally opening before New Years. Obviously it would be more beneficial from a business point of view to locate these stores as close as we can to an existing gas bar to create a bit of an ‘all in one’ experience for our members,” explained Jared Brown, Co-op’s new Liquor Store Operations Manager. While relatively new to Mid
Island Co-op, having joined the enterprise last July, Brown is no stranger to the Co-op business model or to the operation of liquor stores. He comes to his position with 23 year’s experience working within the Co-operative business system, having worked previously for the Calgary Co-op. About half of his time in Calgary was spent operating a total of six liquor stores for the organization, a division with sales of more than $30 million annually. A Vancouver Island native, Brown and his wife opted to return to the West Coast to raise their family in a quieter and more relaxed Island setting. “Our first location is at 1415 Alberni Highway, right between Parksville and Coombs where we already have a large gas bar. The new liquor store is nearly 5,100 square feet, making it a fairly large operation,” he said. “This is definitely a good sized store, making it very close to being the largest store of its type in the immediate area. Unlike the majority of the stores on the Island this outlet has a nearly 1,000 square foot walk-in wine and beer room, which is an excellent feature.” Operating with an initial staff of nine workers, the new Mid
Island Liquor store is expected to add to its staff count once Coop has a better idea of the outlet’s sales figures. “The unexpected snowfall impacted our delivery of product, so we are having some difficulty stocking the shelves. If we can’t reach our target of late December we’ll definitely be in full operation by mid-January,” Brown stated. Based on the success of this prototype store Mid Island Liquor anticipates opening additional outlets in the coming years, once the test store proves its economic viability. “We’ll have roughly 2,700 items on the shelves, including a number of local beers and wines as well as spirits. There will be a definitely focus on selling local craft beers. It’s a part of the Co-op business model to support the community and this store will certainly do that,” he said. Mid Island Co-op was first launched in 1959 and currently has a membership of more than 57,000. But like with the company’s gas bars, customers do not have to be members to shop. “This store will be a first for Co-op in BC so it’s exciting that Mid Island Co-op is the ground breaker here,” Brown said. www.midisland.coop