Free Store Chilliwack founder, lifelong Chilliwack resident to seek council seat this fall

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Her professional background features time spent in trauma-informed mental health, recovery support, advocacy and community program development. She formerly served as a health director within a First Nations community where she oversaw community health services and collaborated with provincial and regional health partners. She has lent her insight and expertise toward several nonprofit and community boards. She is working toward a master’s degree in counselling psychology.

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During her career, Mumford says she has developed and advanced community programs, contributed to governance and strategic planning, worked with complex and provincially-funded budgets, contributed toward licensing procedures for treatment centres, and participated in emergency-response efforts alongside the Red Cross.

As the founder and executive director of the Free Store Canada Society, she volunteers seven days a week helping to oversee programs that support thousands of local families. The organization offers a zero-barrier hamper program and other community initiatives, enabling her to work directly with people from all walks of life, including working families, lower-income families, youth, seniors and those facing unexpected hardships. This experience has equipped her with a direct understanding of some of the pressures facing people in Chilliwack, from the rising cost of groceries and raising a family, to finding opportunities and staying connected.

“When we talk about building a better city, we’re not just talking about roads and buildings,” Mumford said. “We’re talking about whether a teenager or young adult has somewhere safe and affordable to go on a Friday night, whether a family can afford to participate in their community and whether people actually feel connected to the place they call home.”

She believes Chilliwack’s continued growth requires more than simply expanding outward. She says she supports growth, but believes development and municipal planning should be approached with intentionality and an understanding of the broader effects decisions can have throughout the community.

“Growth brings opportunity, but it also comes with growing pains,” Mumford said. “Every decision has a ripple effect. We need to think about accessibility, infrastructure, usability and how the choices we make today will affect the people who live here tomorrow.”

Her election platform features themes around thoughtful and sustainable growth, responsible municipal planning, supporting local and family-owned businesses, strengthening opportunities for youth and young adults, and making Chilliwack a community where people of different ages and circumstances can participate and feel connected.

As a small-business owner herself, Mumford says a strong local economy is about more than attracting new businesses. It is also about creating opportunities for local people to live, work and thrive within the community. She maintains that development can support both housing and employment while helping local and family-owned businesses remain an important part of Chilliwack’s future. She says responsible municipal spending means looking beyond the immediate cost of a project and considering its long-term value to the community.

“Responsible spending isn’t always about doing the cheapest thing,” Mumford said. “It’s about making thoughtful decisions, maintaining what we already have and investing where it creates the greatest long-term benefit for the community.”

She believes Chilliwack should look not only at what needs to be built, but also at how existing public spaces, infrastructure and community assets can be better maintained, improved and made accessible to more people.

“Before we build something new, we should also ask whether we are making the best possible use of what we already have,” Mumford said. “What affects one person can affect all of us. “Whether we’re making decisions about growth, public spaces, local businesses or community services, I want to look at the bigger picture and ask how those decisions will affect the people who call Chilliwack home.”

Mumford hopes to bring a practical, community-focused perspective to local government.

“I will work hard, remain accessible, listen before speaking and understand before deciding,” Mumford said. “I want residents to know their concerns matter and that they deserve to feel heard. Chilliwack is growing, and I believe we can move forward thoughtfully while continuing to build a community where people feel connected, included and proud to call home.”