More than 70 Community Savings Credit Union employees gathered in Burnaby on Wednesday (April 9) to assemble 200 "culturally relevant food hampers" for Surrey Food Bank clients in celebration of Vaisakhi.
“At Community Savings, we believe social purpose must translate into social action,” Mike Schilling, president and CEO of Community Savings Credit Union, said. “Vaisakhi reminds us of the values of hard work, gratitude, and togetherness — and this initiative reflects our team’s commitment to walk the talk. It’s about showing up for our community in ways that truly matter to them.”
Each hamper included culturally important staple food items that many newcomers and South Asian families need but that are not often donated to the food bank. These include ingredients such as Atta flour, basmati rice, lentils, salt, and spices, including turmeric, chili powder, garam masala, and cumin.
Kim Savage, executive director of the Surrey Food Bank, was thankful for the donation.
"When families visit the food bank and see items that reflect their own cultural food traditions, it creates a sense of dignity and belonging. This donation from Community Savings recognizes that food security is about more than nutrition — it’s about respect and inclusion,” she said.
Community Savings also donated $2,000, which funded the first 100 hampers. Hazelmere Foods donated an additional $2,000 worth of food, helping put together 100 more. Sutton Alliance also donated $2,000, which will go towards securing more culturally appropriate food items for future distributions, Vijay Naidu from Surrey Food Bank said.
Vaisakhi is celebrated by Sikhs around the world every spring on the day that marks the establishment of the Khalsa order by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. This day is considered one of the most important days in the Sikh calendar, and many Nagar Kirtans (community religious parades) are held around the world on this day. Surrey is home to one of the world's largest Khalsa Day (Vaisakhi) parades.
-With files from Tom Zilich
