Image: UFV / Raylene Mumford (back row, centre) at the St’elt’elawtexw Community Celebration, pictured with her colleagues from Free Store Chilliwack at an award ceremony last week. In 2021, as food prices rose and impacted many families and individuals socioeconomically, Mumford founded Free Store Chilliwack that same year to address an unmet need in the community. The non-profit relies on volunteers to supply the community with fresh food, clothing, hygiene and houseware products free of charge.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Betty Urquhart Award

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CHILLIWACK — In her 17 years of working in the mental health and addiction field, Raylene Mumford witnessed first-hand what food security can do to stabilize a community’s sense of well-being among its vulnerable, distressed residents.

In 2021, as food prices rose and impacted many families and individuals socioeconomically, Mumford founded Free Store Chilliwack that same year to address an unmet need in the community. The non-profit relies on volunteers to supply the community with fresh food, clothing, hygiene and houseware products free of charge.

In light of their substantial role in providing Chilliwack residents with zero-barrier access to food and everyday essentials, Free Store Chilliwack was awarded this year’s Betty Urquhart Award at a ceremony last week in Chilliwack.

Betty Urquhart was among the very first UFV staff members who made the university what it is today. She was an avid volunteer with a strong belief in giving back. Following her passing in 1995, UFV has preserved her legacy with an award in her name. The Betty Urquhart Award is presented annually to a person or a collective who has made an extraordinary contribution to a community within the Fraser Valley.

Mumford, a UFV alum herself who earned a diploma in 1998, expressed gratitude to the incredible team that surrounds her and makes Free Store Chilliwack possible.

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“Thank you to our incredible team who came together to represent at the UFV Community event, winning the Betty Urquhart award meeting the family and so many other amazing people,” Mumford wrote on Facebook about the award. “So many incredible people there, passionate, innovative, and so much talent, the Free Store family is truly humbled and appreciative of this wonderful award. Thank you so much to everybody who comes together and helps continue to foster such a strong, wonderful energy of collaboration, support, and love for one another.”

Mumford oversees Free Store Chilliwack in addition to her full-time administration work for Skwah First Nation, giving up her weekends to help feed 300 local families, UFV wrote in an award news release. The Free Store also runs social programming that fosters children’s literacy and a gardening program that instructs community members how to grow, can, and repurpose their own food.

John Pankratz, chair of the UFV Board of Governors, presented the award to Mumford last week at the St’elt’elawtexw Community Celebration, where The Free Store was honoured for their contributions, along with community partners and distinguished alumni.

“The Free Store’s mission is not just to feed people, but to foster community spirit and collective strength in the face of adversity,” he said.

UFV wrote that Free Store Chilliwack upholds and values environmental responsibility. They demonstrate this core belief by partnering with local farms to turn their surplus into valuable resources, maintaining less than three per cent waste. The Free Store employs a zero-barrier approach so that their services are as accessible as possible to the broader Chilliwack community. People can receive what they need without cost, questions or judgment, thereby elevating dignity, respect and human connection to underscore their mission.

In addition to the plaque they received at the St’elt’elawtexw Community Celebration, Free Store Chilliwack will also receive a monetary prize toward a charity of their choice. This annual award represents an essential part of UFV’s ongoing commitment to changing lives and building community.

“We are proud to recognize the efforts of Raylene and the community-minded volunteers who have made The Free Store such an amazing success,” said Pankratz.

Chilliwack residents can support the mission of Free Store Chilliwack through food donations and gently used second-hand items. Visit their website to find out more, or find them on Facebook under Free Store Chilliwack and Social Program Development Society.