Kevin McConnell is digging his new role as president of the Royal City Farmers Market.
McConnell, who has lived in New Westminster for the past three years with his wife, Kathleen and daughter, Audrey,was recently elected as Royal City Farmers Market’s new president.
One of his priorities after getting settled into city life was getting involved with the market and connecting with local businesses.
McConnell, who has been on the market’s board for three years, has a passion for local food, craft beer, supporting small business and a desire to help grow the already awesome community in New Westminster. He’s grateful that Andrew Murray is staying on as the board’s past president and is eager to help grow and guide the already successful market.
“Kevin has the skills and passion to lead Royal City Farmers Market as we enter a new phase of our development,” Murray said in a press release.
McConnell is excited about the year ahead and hopes to see even more faces out at this year’s markets, which are held at River Market in the winter and Tipperary Park in the summer. With a dedicated core of volunteers, fantastic vendors and a market manager who is truly a champion for local food, he anticipates 2014 will be a banner year for the Royal City Farmers Market.
Joining McConnell on the board are: Hennisea Hoy (secretary); Marcy Koopmans (treasurer); Murray (past president); Jen Arbo; Maureen Kruk; and Daniel McCash.
Food survey
While we’re on the topic of food, the New Westminster Community Food Action Committee is encouraging community members to take a few moments to look at Food for Every Body and answer a brief survey.
The committee is developing a food charter, which is a document that helps provide guidance on advocacy and education for a sustainable food system. With funding from the United Way, the group has been gathering feedback from service providers and groups in the community and has developed a draft food charter – Food For Every Body: A Food Sovereign New Westminster.
“A food charter is a cohesive, shared vision that can guide and direct work in the community as it relates to food issues, whether that is at a grassroots level, or at a policy-making level,” said Betina Ali, chair of the committee. “We think we have done a good job on the draft because we’ve really done our homework, and now we need to check in with residents to be sure it resonates with them. It’s not enough for us to just say ‘these are the issues in the community’ – we need to be sure that our food charter really reflects New West.”
The food charter and the feedback survey are available at http://bit.ly/FoodCharterSurvey. The survey is open until Feb. 28.
Valentine’s story
John Ashdown enjoyed sitting down and having a little heart-to-heart with a woman who has a long history of volunteering in the Royal City.
While attending this year’s Festival of Volunteers, Ashdown, vice-president of the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie No. 20 New Westminster, first met and chatted with Valentine Drayton.
“Valentine joined the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie No. 20 at the young age of 18,” Ashdown wrote in a submission to The Record. “As a child, and at a time when the New Westminster Eagles were located above the now-known Heritage Grill, she recalls going to the Columbia Theatre for a movie while her mother attended regular meetings.”
Drayton was born Feb. 14, 1928, to Katina and Sam Daniels– and was appropriately named Valentine.
“She recalls huge family picnics in Queen’s Park, and when the downtown was vibrant and full of activity, a time when the Fraternal Order of Eagles were the predominate service club,” Ashdown writes. “She attributes the decrease in downtown activity to shopping malls and a trend to business development uptown.”
Drayton, who turned 86 on Valentine’s Day, continues to volunteer in the community decades after those early efforts with the Eagles. She’s a member of the Order of the Eastern Star, Royal Canadian Legion No. 2 Ladies Auxiliary (where she received her 50-year award), and has volunteered at George Derby Hospital since it opened. She’s also a volunteer at the Royal Columbian Hospital Auxiliary’s New to You thrift store in Sapperton.
“Valentine is an extreme example of volunteerism in New Westminster, and we all wish her a Happy Valentine’s Day and a very Happy Birthday,” Ashdown wrote. “We are sure there will be many more to come.”
Do you have an item for Around Town? Send ideas to Theresa McManus, [email protected], or find her on Twitter, @TheresaMcManus.
