Newly named Vancouver Firefighter Charities (VFC) Executive Director Eric Himmelman began his term by accepting a cheque for $17,691 from local McDonalds owners Jas and Andy Bates for VFC’s Snacks For Kids Program.
The donation is part of more than $35,000 that was raised at a dozen McDonalds restaurants owned by Jas and Andy in Vancouver and Burnaby on May 8 during 2024 McHappy Day — an annual event that sees 10% of all sales, paper hearts and McDonalds-themed socks donated to the Ronald McDonald House and local charities like Snacks For Kids.
Beyond the McHappy Day donation, Jas and Andy also donate $5,000 a month to Snacks for Kids. Over the past year and including McHappy Day, that total amounted to $77,691.00.
The VFC’s Snacks for Kids program was founded in 2013 in partnership with the Vancouver School Board and is supported entirely through Vancouver firefighter payroll and community and corporate donations as well as fundraising events hosted by the VFC throughout the year.
Himmelman, a firefighter on the Tech Rescue team at Hall No. 9 in Grandview Woodlands, was previously Program Coordinator for Snacks for Kids, which provides nutritional support in the form of non-perishable snacks, fresh food and take-home groceries to more than 6,000 food-insecure youth and families in 68 schools and after-school programs around Vancouver.
The appointment of Himmelman is a major leap forward for the volunteer-led VFC and the work it does throughout the community via its suite of charitable outreach programs such as Snacks For Kids, Toys For Kids, Lifelines For Seniors and Sports For Kids.
To learn more about the VFC’s fundraising events and initiatives that benefit the community at large, go to vancouverfirefighters.ca.