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Business notes: Bow Mel, Superstore partner for food bank

Business notes
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Andrea Maertz, manager of Duncan’s Superstore, and Leslie Blumel, co-owner of BowMel Chrysler, with the five jeep loads of food that was recently collected for the Cowichan Valley Basket Society. (Submitted photo)

A partnership between Bow-Mel Chrysler and Duncan’s Superstore last weekend has been a boon for the Cowichan Valley Basket Society.

From Thursday through Saturday, customers at the Superstore were encouraged to participate in the “Jam the Jeep” campaign in which they donated food items to fill the jeep with food for the food banks.

The jeep was filled five times over the three days.

Volunteer Bill Greenwell said it’s well known that the Cowichan Valley is receptive to help fill the needs of the community, but the extent to which the Superstore customers stepped up over the weekend to help the food bank was an “eye-opener” for him.

Robyn Dailey, Bow-Mel’s digital marketing director, said the concept for Jam the Jeep originated with a meeting between the two companies to develop ideas to help out in the community.

“The idea was to ensure that the food banks don’t run dry for the upcoming Thanksgiving Day weekend,” she said.

“While there are always food drives around Christmas, there’s nothing like it for Thanksgiving, so we’ll make this an annual event.”

Telus comes through with $11K for Search & Rescue

When you’re out saving lives, having the right equipment is critical.

That’s why TELUS PureFibre was proud when it presented an $11,000 cheque to Cowichan Search & Rescue on Sept. 30 in Duncan.

The monies will fund a much-needed tripod for high-angle rescues and three waterproof radios.

A news release from TELUS said the life-saving equipment will make a big difference to the efforts of the Cowichan Search and Rescue team.

Cowichan Search & Rescue is made up of a group of dedicated volunteers who bring people home safely from forest, mountains and rivers.

To continue operating, they rely on donations from the community and organizations like TELUS.

“TELUS salutes Cowichan Search & Rescue for its ongoing commitment within the community, and for making a difference in many lives,” according to the release.

Fishbowl Cafe celebrating one year since opening

The Fishbowl Cafe, located at 580 Cairnsmore St. in Duncan is celebrating its first anniversary.

Owners Jessica and Jeremy Fetchko jumped at the opportunity last year to open their own cafe which specializes in using locally made products as much as possible.

Jessica does most of the baking in the morning using ingredients from the Valley in most of her creations, and the cafe offers tea and coffee from local producers.

Jeremy said the couple has steadily built up the business over the course of the year.

“We get a lot of customers from local schools, including Queen Margaret’s, and from the Cowichan District Hospital which is also nearby, so it’s a great location for the cafe,” he said.