Anne Miskulin has been with Arrow and Slocan Lakes Community Services (ASLCS) for 34 years. She’s also this month’s Notable Neighbour.
Miskulin works in the office four days a week, and runs the volunteer programs, including the breakfast programs at Nakusp Elementary and Nakusp Secondary Schools, and Meals on Wheels. She started working at ASLCS as a home support worker.
Home support workers do personal care for residents in their home, which helps to allow them to stay in their home for as long as possible before moving to a new location like Halcyon House, or Minto House.
Miskulin can’t stress how much she enjoys working for ASLCS.
“The people in the office are just like family, the agency has always good to all of their employees, whether you’re a home support worker or a bus driver,” she said. “It’s a really family oriented, ASLCS.”
Along with the breakfast programs and Meals on Wheels, Miskulin also runs the food bank every Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Residents can access the food bank once a month, but she said they will never turn anyone away. If a person comes in, staff at ASLCS make sure they have something to eat.
“With the downturn of the work economy in the area, I think the food bank and the breakfast programs are very, very important to those that need that extra little left, whether they’re a family, a single parent, a single person, sometimes they just need that extra bit of help,” she said. “I find that a lot of them that have used the food bank, they always want to try to give back, by helping out in some way in the community, or if they have extras when they get on their feet they will bring stuff to the food bank.”
A big reason Miskulin loves working for ASLCS is because she loves the community and the people in it. She couldn’t believe she was nominated to be this month’s Notable Neighbour.
“I was shocked,” she concluded. “It’s an honour, it really is.”