Culturally Relevant Food Donations Help Families Celebrate Vaisakhi
Surrey, BC — April 10, 2025– In the spirit of Vaisakhi — a time of reflection, renewal, and unity — Community Savings Credit Union is supporting over 300 families with 200 culturally-relevant food hampers and cash donations to the Surrey Food Bank. The need has never been greater as one in four people in Canada are facing food insecurity. The Surrey Food Bank serves 20,000 people per month which is almost double the number of people from two years ago. 47% of recipients rely on culturally appropriate hampers and 44% are children under 18.
Each hamper includes culturally important ingredients such as Atta flour, Basmati rice, lentils, salt, and spices including turmeric, chili powder, Garam masala, and cumin — foods that are staple items for many newcomers and South Asian families but are often unavailable through traditional food bank donations.
“At Community Savings we believe social purpose must translate into social action,” says Mike Schilling, President and CEO of Community Savings Credit Union. “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.”
The donation is also an employee-led team-building initiative, bringing staff together to purchase, sort, and pack over one ton of food items — and reinforcing the credit union’s core purpose of uniting working people to build a just world.
Community Savings also extends heartfelt appreciation to the local partners who made this effort possible. Thank you to long time members Harmeet and Pawan Sidhu at Hazelmere Foods, Brian Clark and Sukhi Binar at Save-On-Foods, and Raj Khela and his team at Sutton Group Alliance Realtors, for their generous donations and support.
“When families visit the food bank and see items that reflect their own cultural food traditions, it creates a sense of dignity and belonging,” says Kim Savage, Executive Director of the Surrey Food Bank. “This donation from Community Savings recognizes that food security is about more than nutrition — it’s about respect and inclusion.”
Surrey is home to one of the largest South Asian populations in Canada, and while the need for food assistance is rising, access to culturally appropriate food remains a challenge. Community Savings Credit Union is stepping up to help close that gap, one family at a time.
About Community Savings:
Community Savings Credit Union is driven by its purpose to unite working people to build a just world. As BC’s largest fully unionized credit union, Community Savings provides best-in-class personal and business banking.
Community Savings operates seven branches across the Lower Mainland and Victoria. It lives by its values, from being the first financial institution to become a Living Wage employer in 2010 to winning the 2022 BCBusiness Business of Good Workplace Wellness Award for its innovative staff wellness programs. For more about Community Savings, visit www.comsavings.com.
Media Contact:
Julia White, VP, External Affairs & Communications
jwhite@comsavings.com
www.comsavings.com
