We’re cooking up something bigger…

If you had told us when we started serving community dinners that, one day, we’d be talking about 1,600+ meals, a $225,000 donation, new catering equipment, and the possibility of a space of our own, we probably would have laughed or panicked. 

Probably both.

Because we’ve always dreamed big at ROCKS. We’ve always believed this could become something bigger, something that could feed more people, bring our community together ,and create a lasting impact.

What we didn’t know was just how quickly our community seemed to need this and how quickly Whistler showed up to get behind that dream.

People started volunteering. Restaurants started donating food. Farmers started sending vegetables. Businesses started sponsoring meals. People started bringing their friends.

And guests kept coming back. 

Our angel investor chose us, and suddenly, that little dinner started to feel like something much bigger.

We’re pulling up more chairs

In September, we served our 1,617th meal.

Our September dinner was a little quieter than some of our summer nights, 43 guests and 13 volunteers, but there was something really lovely about it.

The kitchen was calm. The crew was small. There were lots of familiar faces around the table.

We served Chicken Marbella (a somewhat unexpected choice that turned out to be a very good one!), alongside a fresh salad packed with vegetables from the Pemberton Stewardship Society.

And as we looked around the room, we realized something:

Some of the people sitting at those tables have been coming to ROCKS again and again.

They’ve become regulars. They know the volunteers. They know the routine. They know there will be something warm to eat.

That might be one of our favourite things about ROCKS. It isn’t just about the food. 

It’s about the community that has been forming at our tables.

Then 100 Men pulled up a chair

We were incredibly honoured to receive $16,337 from 100 Men of Who Care Whistler.

The funding will go toward the catering and hot-holding equipment we need to prepare, transport, hold, and serve hot food safely and efficiently.

That might sound like a very practical thing and not that exciting, but for us, this equipment represents something much bigger.

It means we can start thinking about 100+ meals at a time, looking at opportunities that weren’t possible before. It means we can stop asking, “Can we make this work?” and start asking, “What could we do if we really had the capacity?”

That is a pretty exciting question.

Thank you,100 Men, for pulling up a chair at the ROCKS table. 

And thank you to everyone who shared the stage with us that evening with us, including Whistler Waldorf School and Mountain Muskox.

WE HAVE A HOME! 🏠❤️

Okay, we can finally say it…aren’t you glad you kept reading?!

ROCKS has a new home in Function Junction!

After a lot of conversations, dreaming, planning, and a few moments of “okay, can we actually pull this off?”, we’re incredibly excited to officially announce our new space:

Unit 18, Lower Floor, 1005 Alpha Lake Road, Function Junction, Whistler.

This feels like a pretty huge moment for ROCKS.  

Another angel has come along – and this time he wants to be our landlord!  

Mark Springett was incredibly supportive of ROCKS when he heard about our journey so far, and we’re so grateful that he is now excited to share his space with us and be part of what we’re building.

When Mark heard that we had found a way to make ROCKS bigger and more sustainable, he shared this with us:

“Congratulations on seeing your vision unfolding into reality before you. Thank you for all you’ve done for the community.”

We’re pretty lucky to have people like Mark in our corner.

Having our own space means we can start thinking beyond one event at a time. 

We’ll have room for equipment, food storage, prep, cooking, and volunteers. More importantly, we’ll have a place where we can start building the capacity to do more.

There is still plenty to do before we’re fully up and running, but this is the beginning of a very exciting new chapter.

Something is officially cooking in Function Junction.

 

Help us fill our kitchen

Now that we have a space, we have another little problem…

We need to fill it!

We’re looking for gently used commercial or high-quality kitchen equipment and supplies that could help us get cooking.

We’ve put together an updated ROCKS Equipment Wish List, so if you have something on the list or something you think we might be able to use, we’d love to hear from you.

We’ll be accepting equipment drop-offs starting October 1st. Please email us at whistler.recreate@gmail.com to arrange a drop-off time rather than bringing items by unannounced.

And don’t worry, we’re not going to turn our new space into a kitchen-equipment graveyard! Anything we receive that we ultimately can’t use will be passed along to Re-Build It / Re-Use Whistler or another appropriate community organization wherever possible.

Curious to see the new space?

Our Annual General Meeting is happening October 6th, and we’re excited to hold it in our brand-new ROCKS home!

If you’ve been curious about what we’re cooking up in Function Junction, this is your chance to come have a look, hear about where we’ve been and where we’re going, and help us celebrate this next chapter.

You’re welcome to join us, just RSVP so we know you’re coming, and please bring your own chair!

We’re building the kitchen, but we haven’t quite built the furniture department yet. 😉

More details will be sent to those attending.

What should we call it?

As this new space comes together, we think it deserves a name that feels very ROCKS.

So we’re going to be launching a Name the Space contest soon.

Because if Whistler is going to help us build this thing, it seems only right that Whistler gets a say in what we call it.

Keep an eye on our Instagram and Facebook pages for the details.

A big thank you to Rhawnie ❤️

We also want to take a moment to say a huge thank you to Rhawnie, who has recently stepped down from the ROCKS Board, as she has moved away from Whistler to pursue a new journey.

Rhawnie has been part of this journey and has brought so much heart, energy and care to ROCKS along the way. We’re incredibly grateful for everything she has contributed to helping us get to where we are today, and we’ll miss having her around the board table, although we have a feeling she won’t be too far away from the ROCKS table itself.

Thank you, Rhawnie, for helping us build this thing from the ground up.

Welcome Leana ❤️

Leana has officially joined our board, although as she has already been our bookkeeper, head chef and master organizer for so long, she was already part of our foundation.  

She’s already up to speed and zooming along at the pace we like to keep!

We’re very happy to officially have her around our board table.

Want to help shape what comes next?

As ROCKS grows, so does the work behind the scenes. We’re looking for a few passionate community members to join our Board of Directors and help us shape this next chapter.

We’re especially interested in people who can bring experience, ideas or connections in areas like:

• Finance
• Fundraising
• Grant writing
• Governance
• Social media and communications
• Food service and operations
• Community partnerships 

More than anything, we’re looking for people who care deeply about our community and believe everyone deserves a seat at the table.

If you’ve been following along and thinking, “I’d love to be part of this,” this might be your moment.

Interested in joining the ROCKS Board? Get in touch with us at whistler.recreate@gmail.com.

We’re always looking for more ROCKStars 

A ROCKS dinner event doesn’t happen without volunteers. From chopping vegetables and cooking to setting tables, serving guests, and tackling the dishes at the end of the night, every shift is a small part of making a big thing happen.

As we head into this next chapter, we’d love to grow our community of ROCKStars. Whether you can help once in a while or want to become a regular, there’s a place for you at the table.

Come cook with us, lend a hand, meet some great people and be part of what we’re building.

Sign up to be a volunteer here.  We’ll be loading up shifts shortly, once we confirm our Fall and Winter schedule.

We’ll be back at the table soon, and when we do, we hope you’ll join us. Come for dinner, bring a friend, volunteer for a shift, or donate what you can. Every person who pulls up a chair, lends a hand, shares a meal or helps make that meal possible is part of what makes ROCKS what it is.

Because when we started ROCKS, we thought we were building a meal program. We’re realizing we’re actually building something else: 

A table big enough for everyone.

And we’re going to need a lot more chairs.

❤️

The ROCKS Board