Save-On-Foods in Duncan is supplying the food for a couple of community events this month.
First up was the Hospital Appreciation Luncheon on May 12 at Cowichan District Hospital as part of Nursing Week.
Workers from the store were joined by members of the Kinettes that day in serving barbecue hot dogs and hamburgers to the hard-working staff at the hospital.
They will also be on hand on May 18 to help with the Rotary Club’s pancake breakfast, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., at the Duncan Mall, which is served in combination with the club’s popular Spelling Bee for Literacy fundraiser.
“We joined forces with the Kinettes and cooked lunch for the nurses,” said store manager Derik Sheers.“It’s important that the community know about what these local groups are doing in the community.”
Farmer’s Market conducting survey
The Duncan Farmer’s Market is looking for eight volunteers to assist in a market survey, customer count and site assessment.
Barry O’Riordan, the market’s executive director, said the survey will determine who the visitors are to the popular market, where they came from, how many there are and what their preferences of products are.
He said the survey will also ask how much each visitor spends at the market, and what other activities they have planned for the area while in Duncan.
“It’s the type of survey that is used at farmers’ markets throughout the U.S. And Canada, but it’s the first time we’ll be doing it here,” O’Riordan said.
“It will help us with grant applications with local governments, and will help new vendors in the market determine their potential turnover, among other uses.”
O’Riordan said the survey will be held on either May 21 or May 28, depending on the availability of the volunteers, and will be the first of three that will be conducted this summer.
He said the application forms for volunteers is available on the market’s Facebook page, and completed forms should be emailed to themarketmanager1@gmail.com
Duncan McDonald’s manager wins award
Casey Thompson, manager of the McDonald’s restaurant on the Trans Canada Highway in Duncan, has won a Ray Kroc Award, an accolade that recognizes the top performing McDonald’s restaurants globally.
Thompson was one of 340 McDonald’s managers from around the world to receive the honour for 2016, which includes a cash prize and a trophy.
Thompson, who has been working for McDonald’s for nine years, was awarded his prize last month at the Ray Kroc Awards Gala in Florida.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be selected as one of the top restaurant managers around the world for 2016, and I’m thrilled to be recognized among such a talented group of peers,” Thompson said.
“I could not have done this without the hard work, dedication and unwavering support from my team.”
Saltair open-air market development digs in
The shovels are finally in the ground for the long-anticipated Stocking Creek Open Market in Saltair.
John Morris, owner of Saltair Properties and the developer of the project, said the plan is to construct 16 small retail buildings, in the range of approximately 1,800 square-feet each, over the next two or three years to create a Coombs-like open-air market.
He said the first two units are expected to be completed and ready for occupancy within the next three months in the first phase of the construction plan.
Morris said he began planning for the approximately $5-million project in 2014, but the bureaucracy involved to receive the municipal zoning to move forward with construction took some time.
“It will be perfect for small, mom-and-pop operations that are looking for cheaper accommodations,” he said.
“There’s a strong demand for these types of shops in the region.”
robert.barron
@cowichanvalleycitizen.com