Media Advisory

For Immediate Release

SEVA FOOD BANK HIRES OPERATIONS MANAGER AS ITS FIRST EMPLOYEE

Mississauga, ON (August 19, 2011) – Seva Food Bank is pleased to announce the hiring of its first employee. Michael Brito joins our team as a part-time Operations Manager. In his role with the food bank, Michael will have responsibility for supervising our daily operations. This includes oversight of the front reception area, client-intake process as well as food delivery, sorting, storage, and distribution.

Michael brings over 10 years of experience in working with individuals and communities experiencing poverty. His prior work has included coordinating youth programs in southwest Scarborough as well as in the former city of York. He has also worked extensively with homeless youth and adults across Toronto, providing services and delivering programs with a focus on harm reduction. Most recently, he worked as a Hepatitis C Educator, delivering workshops and training to service providers and people living with Hepatitis C. He approaches his work with compassion and a commitment to social justice.

“We are delighted to have Michael on board. As our new Operations Manager, he’ll enable our organization to provide an even greater level of consistency and support to our clients,” remarked board chair Gurmeet Singh Ahluwalia.”We’re also very grateful to the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Without their generous support, we wouldn’t have been able to bring Michael on board.”

The Seva Food Bank provides safe, nutritious and culturally-appropriate food to over 500 low-income families in Mississauga through a partnership with The Mississauga Food Bank. It is an initiative of Sikhs Serving Canada, a registered not-for-profit organization whose mission is to positively impact local communities by acting on the basic Sikh tenets of sarbat da bhalla (the well being of all) and seva (selfless service).

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Media Contact:
Kulvir Singh Gill
Sikhs Serving Canada
416-471-5296
communications@sevafoodbank.com
www.sevafoodbank.com

The June 2011 newsletter is out! Click here to read about our Emergency Food Donation list, our new Operations Manager, and some great video links.

What?
Are you’re getting ready to plant your garden this summer? Please consider planting a row for hungry families served by the Seva Food Bank. We welcome all donations of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Who?
Anyone in the community that grow their own vegetable gardens.

How?
Participation is easy! Dedicate a row of your garden to the Seva Food Bank and donate the fresh produce from that row.

Why?
Produce can be prohibitively expensive for families with limited incomes, but is essential for a healthy diet. Fresh veggies and fruits are highly prized items at the Seva Food Bank and are quickly distributed to families in need. Produce provided from home gardens is so much fresher than any other produce we receive, that it will be distributed very quickly.
There is no such thing as too much produce at the food bank. Our food bank clients are very appreciative of the donations.

What To Grow?
You can plant and grow whatever you want. However long lasting root vegetables like carrots, beets and potatoes are best; however, any produce items that can be easily handled and stored, such as cabbage, peas, beans, tomatoes, radishes, parsnips, sweet peppers, summer squash, apples, and pears are welcome.

Where?
The Seva Food Bank is located at 3413 Wolfedale Rd (Unit 10), Mississauga, ON, L5C 1V8.

When?
Seva Food Bank takes donations Wednesday evenings between 5:30 and 8:30 pm and Sundays between 12 and 5 pm. To schedule donations outside of this time, call 905-361-SEVA (7382).

Download the Grow A Row poster here.

Download the Grow A Row media release here.

Media Advisory

For Immediate Release

Fundraising Dinner Raises $15,000 For Seva Food Bank

Mississauga, ON (May 8, 2011) – More than 300 people filled the Bombay Palace on Friday night to show their support for the Seva Food Bank in its fight against hunger and poverty. The food bank hosted its first fundraising dinner, The Seva Spark, and raised more than $15,000 to support their ongoing operations.

“In each of the seven months that we’ve been open, the Seva Food Bank has seen a steady increase in the number of client families that we serve,” commented dinner organizer Gurmeet Singh Ahluwalia. “We’re delighted to see such an outpouring of support from the community. The money raised tonight allows us to really focus our efforts on taking care of these families.”

Since opening its doors in September 2010, the Seva Food Bank has distributed over 100,000 pounds of food to over 400 families in need from the L5B and L5C postal codes of Mississauga.

Mr. Ahluwalia and Navtej Kaur Mudhar were the masters of ceremonies for the event. The evening featured a maculele Afro-Brazilian dance by Axe Capoeira and a performance by the I Rock With The One dance group.  Chris Hatch, the Executive Director of the Mississauga Food Bank, also spoke to the audience remarking on the tremendous partnership that they have established with the Seva Food Bank.

Dignitaries attending the event included Mississauga City Councillor George Carlson, former councillor Carolyn Parish, MPP Vic Dhillon and new MP Parm Gill.

The Seva Food Bank is an initiative of Sikhs Serving Canada, a registered not-for-profit organization whose mission is to positively impact local communities by acting on the basic Sikh tenets of sarbat da bhalla (the well being of all) and seva (selfless service).

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Media Contact:
Kulvir Singh Gill
Sikhs Serving Canada
416-471-5296
communications@sevafoodbank.com
www.sevafoodbank.com

Download PDF version here.

View all the pictures here on Facebook.

Introduction:

The Seva Food Bank provides safe, nutritious and culturally-appropriate food to low- income families in Mississauga. An initiative of Sikhs Serving Canada, a registered not-for-profit organization, our mission is to positively impact local communities by acting on the basic Sikh tenets of sarbat da bhalla (the well being of all) and seva (selfless service).

Since opening our doors in September 2010, we have had the privilege of serving more than 100,000 lbs of food to over 400 families in need. After receiving a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, the Seva Food Bank is looking to hire a part-time Operations Manager.

Job Overview:

This individual will have responsibility to organize and supervise the daily operations of Seva Food Bank. This includes the front reception area, client-intake process as well as food delivery, sorting, storage, and distribution.

Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for prompt and efficient delivery of food and other assistance to clients.
• Supervise and train volunteers for logistics and food distribution.
• Coordinate food deliveries and donations to the food bank.
• Serve as primary contact for The Mississauga Food Bank network and other organizations for food intake. Prepare weekly food order from TMFB.
• Ensuring all paper and electronic records of clients, donors and food orders are properly updated and stored.
• Working with SSC board to coordinate all payments to vendors and suppliers.
• Closely monitor expenditures and maintain budgetary guidelines for expenses controlled by OM, e.g. utilities, supplies, purchases, etc.
• Ensure proper janitorial work is done, bathrooms and kitchen areas are cleaned and sanitized regularly and garbage is appropriately removed.
• Work with external pest control company to ensure compliance with health policies.
• May be designated other compatible duties as assigned.

Hours:

• 20 hours a week including Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons

Required Qualifications:

• Strong sense of commitment to SFB’s mission and values.
• Experience in logistics and warehouse management.
• Prior supervisory experience.
• General office and management skills including computer skills, people skills, planning and organizing aptitude, and leadership.
• Must be able to lift 50lbs.
• Must hold a valid Ontario driver’s license with a clean driving record and have access to a vehicle.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in volunteer management and engagement.
• Prior experience with non-profit social services agencies.
• Additional spoken languages an asset, especially Punjabi, Arabic, and Spanish.
• Food Handlers Certificate and CPR training an asset.

Reports to:

• Sikhs Serving Canada (SSC) Board of Directors and specifically the Chair of the Board.

Performance Measurements:

• Operations Manager’s job performance shall be evaluated by the SSC Board monthly for the first three months, and annually thereafter.
• Measurements shall include client satisfaction, expense controls, compliance to maintenance / safety programs, volunteer retention and general operational efficiency.

Please forward a cover letter and resume with references by May 9, 2011 to communications@sevafoodbank.com. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those to be invited for an interview will be contacted.

Mississauga, ON (April 17, 2011) – The 2011 Vaisakhi Food Drive has raised more than 19,300 pounds for Mississauga’s Seva Food Bank. Organized by the Punjab Charity Foundation and the Guru Gobind Singh Children’s Foundation, the weeklong initiative solicited donations from the Sikh community at gurdwaras and South Asian food stores across the Greater Toronto Area.

“It was an amazing sight to see 15 vans full of food line up outside the food bank last night” commented Seva Food Bank volunteer Manpreet Kaur Gosal. Volunteers from the Punjab Charity Foundation, dressed in their bright orange T-shirts, were on hand to off-load the food.

Since opening its doors in September of 2010, the Seva Food Bank has distributed over 100,000 pounds of food to over 400 client families. As Vaisakhi represents the spring harvest for Punjabis, Mrs. Gosal reflected on how “seeing a warehouse full of food ready for distribution to families in need really does do justice to this special occasion”.

The Seva Food Bank provides safe, nutritious and culturally-appropriate food to low-income families in Mississauga through a partnership with The Mississauga Food Bank. It is an initiative of Sikhs Serving Canada, a registered not-for-profit organization whose mission is to positively impact local communities by acting on the basic Sikh tenets of sarbat da bhalla (the well being of all) and seva (selfless service).

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Today is Vaisakhi. For Punjabis it is a day of celebration representing the spring harvest. For Sikhs, it is the 312th anniversary of the establishment of the Khalsa by the tenth Sikh prophet, Guru Gobind Singh.

The Khalsa is the collective of all initiated Sikhs, who seek a life of mystical harmony with the Divine through introspection and service of those in need. Sikhs celebrate this momentous day all over the world with much joy and enthusiasm. Guru Gobind Singh’s core values of seva, selfless service, and sarbat da bhalla, the well being of all, are the foundation of the Seva Food Bank. His life motivates our many dedicated and passionate volunteers to serve their local community every day.

We thank you for your support of the Seva Food Bank. Your continued commitment to our mission directly touches the lives of the many client families who rely on our services every month. The Seva Food Bank has been open for a little over seven months and in that time over 100,000 pounds of safe, nutritious and culturally-appropriate food has been served to over 400 families in need.

So this year, as you reflect on the significance of Vaisakhi , we ask you to consider getting involved with the Seva Food Bank. Through donating funds, food, and volunteering, we can continue the fight against hunger in our communities and help put the lessons of Vaisakhi into practice.

Thank you again and we wish everyone the very best on the happy occasion of Vaisakhi!

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh!

Sincerely,

Amarpreet, Amritpal, Birender, Gosha, Gurmeet, Inderpreet, Kulvir, Manpreet, Manraj and Sundeep

Seva Food Bank Organizing Committee