Angels Are Real! (Albeit Anonymous)
We are thrilled to announce our biggest donation ever, from a private individual who prefers not to be named. After watching ROCKS from the beginning he recently reached out for more information and in August, at a very Whistler-type meeting in Mountain Square at Crankworx, offered a donation of $150,000 this year, followed by $75,000 next year. Our angel (as we have taken to referring to him among ourselves) has invited us to use the money in whatever way we judge will best advance our organization.
We’re honoured by his trust in us, and impressed by the pure generosity of an anonymous gift, and heartened to know that such cool people are out there.
In other donation news, Whistler has some pretty cool businesses too. Not only did Ziptrek Ecotours sponsor a ROCKS meal, more recently they quietly transferred $1,461 into our account. Thinking the money had been sent in error we contacted them and learned that Ziptrek donates quarterly to community causes—this time they chose ROCKS, bringing their total donation to $2,461.
From Whistler Blackcomb Foundation, we received $10,000 for food supplies, which will go a long way in helping us continue our community dinners. And through the RMOW’s Community Enrichment Program, we received a $4,000 grant towards administrative support for the myriad of operational tasks that exceed volunteer capacity.
Other quiet Angels to report on are those from the Interact Club of Whistler (the up and coming Rotarians), who raised a whopping $3,100 for us back in their May fundraiser and TD Bank, who donated $3,000 from the Whistler, Squamish and Sechelt branches.
Our Survey Results indicate that while our patrons are concerned about the potential loss of community meals and are supportive of ROCKS’ new initiatives, most aren’t in a position to donate. Not surprising—widespread financial insecurity within Whistler is why ROCKS was established—but it leaves us particularly grateful for the $650 in reader donations received following the survey. It also helped us understand more about our supporters and offered some insightful data.
Our heartfelt thanks to all who have donated, in any amount. We appreciate you. Our Thanks page is quite a big scrolling effort these days and it shows how far we have come with the community right beside us. All donations and other public data can always be seen and reviewed, as transparency is a core value.
To gain more insight into the behind the scenes work, and just how much fun we have, check out Poppy’s video. Poppy of the Whistler Interact Club generously donated her time and expertise to do a fun video. Thank you Poppy!
Big Plans
Our angel’s $225,000 donation over two years is a game changer, opening up new possibilities for expanding our operations. Much as we love the Whistler Mountain Ski Club, we’re limited in what we can achieve there, by the unavailability of storage at a rented-by-the-night venue, by the need to haul our equipment up and down the stairs every event, by the pressures of having to do all our cooking between arriving at 3:30 and serving at 6:00 sharp, and most significantly, by the 14-event-per-calendar-year limitation set by Vancouver Coastal Health. With our angel’s funding we’re now looking to eliminate these constraints by creating a purpose-built commercial-grade kitchen capable of supporting community dinners and other charitable food initiatives.
Our envisioned new kitchen would serve as our primary food preparation space, with us continuing to serve dinners at the Whistler Mountain Ski Club. Our envisioned new kitchen could also enable us to host dinners at additional venues that have dining spaces but no kitchen access–for example coffee shops that are closed in the evenings.
We currently have a promising temporary rental space in mind, but before committing we need to thoroughly investigate building and zoning bylaws, permit requirements, VCH regulations, and the full regulatory framework, as well as determine construction costs. We’ll definitely be making full use of Natalie’s project management background!
If feasible, creation of our own kitchen within a rental space would constitute Phase I of ROCKS’ expansion plan, with Phase II being our eventual relocation into a shared community space having both a dining area and a commercial-grade kitchen, likely furnished in part with modular kitchen equipment from Phase I.
None of this would be remotely possible without the incredible support of our angel funding, combined with careful financial planning and a disciplined approach to managing our resources. To further improve our financial position, ROCKS is also exploring raising revenue on a social enterprise model and complementing existing community programs.
School Hot Meal Program
One area with an obvious opportunity is hot meals in Whistler schools. The current hot lunch programs are largely organized by individual PACs, who put a tremendous amount of time and effort into fundraising, coordinating volunteers and providing hot meals for students. We see this as an opportunity to support and complement those efforts—not replace them.
WCSS already does an incredible job through programs such as the Breakfast Club and Full Fridge, and we see those programs as complementary to what ROCKS could offer. Our focus would be on working with PACs where there is a need or interest, providing access to the infrastructure, food preparation and capacity that a commercial kitchen can offer.
We’ll be reaching out to PACs as our plans develop to better understand what would be helpful and explore how we can support existing programs—one meal at a time, and starting slowly.
Having seen the amazing work Squamish CAN has done in bringing 70,000 hot, made-from-scratch, nutritious meals to schools in Squamish, we’re inspired by what could be possible for Whistler too.
Equipment Needed
ROCKS recently toured the 55+ Center in Squamish, a municipally-owned facility that had fallen into disuse until the Squamish Climate Action Network and other groups got together, took over the space, and turned it into a beautiful kitchen that now produces 500 school meals a day. Squamish CAN head chef Michael Stavely has generously agreed to share his expertise to help us achieve the same success on a smaller scale here in Whistler, and to guide us in furnishing our own purpose-built kitchen.
Our immediate need is for hot hold-holding equipment, to allow us to safely transport food within Whistler, for which we’ll be pitching to the 100 Men of Whistler on August 27th.
Wherever possible we’ll furnish our kitchen with second-hand equipment. While we’re not ready to receive donations equipment quite yet, we’re putting the word out early to businesses that might be about to upgrade their own kitchens. To see a full list of what we’re after, click here.
We’re Recruiting – Join Our Board!
As you can see, it’s a pivotal time for our organization and we’re recruiting board members to share ideas, solve problems, and help shape our future.
ROCKS is run by a hands-on, working board that actively contributes to the development and operations of our community meals program in Whistler. Directors don’t just provide oversight — they roll up their sleeves, help drive projects forward, and support the practical work required to bring ROCKS to life.
Requirements
- Prior board experience, preferably on nonprofit or community board
- Local to Whistler or Sea-to-Sky
- Alignment with ROCKS’ mission and willingness to engage directly in building programs, partnerships, and systems
- Financial literacy or experience in budgeting, accounting, or fundraising
- Collaborative, community-minded, and comfortable contributing both strategic and operational effort
Responsibilities
- Participate actively in board meetings and ongoing project work
- Contribute to operational tasks such as program development, community outreach, partnership building, and organizational setup
- Provide financial oversight and help build sustainable funding models
- Serve as a visible community ambassador and help grow ROCKS’ presence in Whistler
- Ensure transparent governance while also supporting day-to-day momentum
Time Commitment
- Monthly board meetings plus regular project involvement, committee work, and participation in community-facing activities
Summer Dinner Synopsis
June 15 Dinner
Chef Margie of the Four Seasons and her crew definitely elevated the ROCKS culinary experience with a Chickpea Masala and Tofu Sunflower Seed Curry. Ashleigh and Jordy brought in a Grade 6 class to set up and decorate which was a fun (and chaotic?) experience for all, and Elizabeth’s class at the Waldorf graced the tables with lovely handmade flowers.
We served 54 guests, our lowest numbers in a while, we think because of end-of school-year activities and start-of-summer vacations. 19 ROCKStars made the event happen, with a great balance between newbies and returning volunteers, making the total number of meals served 73.
The cost of the event was $951 including venue hire, which was offset by $411 in donations on the night of the event, making the effective cost $540.
July 20 Dinner
It was taco night, with Leana once again doing a fantastic job leading the kitchen, supported by an incredible team of volunteers. A huge shout-out to Laurence, who went above and beyond by baking and generously donating 100 fruit pies using her own ingredients. Scrumptious! Bright paper flowers made by Rosie and her grandchildren not only transformed the dining room but led the way to the entrance. Slope Side Supply, Four Seasons and Whistler Reusable Cups came through as always, for which we’re always grateful.
We served 91 guests with the help of 19 wonderful volunteers, for a total of 110 meals served, a great turnout on a hot, smoky summer night. We ran out of beef and fish for the last few meals but quickly pivoted to whip up some cheese and corn quesadillas, so in the end everyone left with a full belly.
The one sad note of the evening was saying goodbye to two beloved volunteers, who joined us at the very beginning and never missed a dinner. Ferlly who greeted guests at the donations table has since headed back to Chile, and Arlo, always on the serving line, has since headed home to Australia, each with a ROCKStar apron as the smallest token of our appreciation for the many hours they so generously gave to our community after working all day at their full time jobs! Ferlly, Arlo, we hope you’re reading this from your separate corners of the world and know that we’re thinking of you ever so fondly.
The event cost $922.81 including venue hire, which was offset by $676 in guest donations on the night of the event, making the effective cost $247. This meal was sponsored by the Whistler Community Foundation, so we put those guest donations into a ‘pay it forward’ bucket to support a future meal.
August 17 Dinner
This one will be a simple summer dinner headed up by she-does-it-all Natalie, featuring pulled pork on steamed buns, an asian salad with black beans and a bounty of summer produce from our friends at Pemberton Stewardship Society. As a side note, the Pemberton Stewardship Society are celebrating the harvest season with a first ever “Cycle and Snack Garden Tour” at 5:30pm on Thursday, August 13th, starting at the Portage Road Community Garden (located at 1416 Portage Road).
We need another few volunteers to help with close, so if you have availability, please book a shift in Vome. Or if you want to come by and check it outn and dine with us, reserve your spot so we know who to expect.
September 14 Dinner
Anybody with a Foodsafe certificate looking for a culinary challenge? We’d love to make you Head Chef for our September 14 dinner. Reach out if you want to help us scope our next dinner – subject to approval from VCH about the permit situation.
SUPPORT WHISTLER COMMUNITY SERVICES SOCIETY TO WIN A LAND ROVER! Every day, we’ve been going into vote to help bring a Land Rover to our friends at WCSS. It takes only a few moments and we all love to win stuff! Only 2 days to go…
Whew, longest newsletter ever, so extra thanks for reading this far! With all the demands there are for your attention, we truly appreciate your interest.
The Whistler ROCKS Team