Trilliant's Trees 4 Treasures 2011 raises over $4750 for Adopt-A-Family!

We would like to thank everyone for helping to make 2011 Trees 4 Treasures an outstanding success!
We live in a fantastically generous and supportive community, and we wish your family a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2012!


 (left to right: Pat Garritty, TREG & Darcy Ouellet, Fund Development Officer for CA Women's Outreach)

On the evening of December 7, 2011 we held our 3rd annual Trilliant's Trees 4 Treasures at our corporate office at 40 Hewlett Park Landing in Sylvan Lake.  We give everyone a fresh Christmas Tree and in exchange we ask you to "pay it forward" to help someone else's Christmas special.  For a donation to the CA Women's Outreach Adopt-A-Famliy Program, you can either pick up your tree or we will deliver it to the address you request.

We would also like to thank our sponsors:  Inspire Mortgage Solutions, Homes & Land of Red Deer, Rowanoak Law Offices, and City Screen Productions.

If you would like more information about this event, or would like to help sponsor Trilliant's Trees 4 Treasures 2012, please email Eve at eve@trilliantrealty.ca


Trilliant's Movie Madness 2011 Brings in a Bundle for Our Food Bank!

We would like to share this thank you from our local Food Bank with all of you who so generously donated at our Movie Madness event on June 25:
                                       
                                     
 (left to right: Gena Marie Williamson, Sylvan Lake Food Bank & Pat Garritty, TREG)

Dear Trilliant Real Estate,

 We unloaded all your donations Sunday afternoon!!  I couldn't believe the variety and total amount that you collected.  Thank you all very much.  We had quickly discussed how many hampers I figured this donation would provide for, and I had, at a glance approximated two..lol...wrong!  I'd say more like five or six families. That in itself is incredible. We are fortunate to have in store credit from fundraising at a few local stores which enables us to purchase items like fresh milk, eggs, potatoes, carrots, oranges, apples and hamburger to add to our hampers each week. The monetary donations like the money you were able to collect saturday help to purchase these kind of items and also to make the purchases of the staple items that we have have run out of.
 
This is the time of year that our food supply reaches a critical low, so I can not express how thankful I am that you all take the time to think of us each year and collect food on our behalf.  Here's a little info you can share so everyone can see how utterly valuable your recent donations really are: 
 
The average cost of a hamper per family according to the Calgary Food Bank is 140.00  This number increases according to family size as well decreases with smaller families. Every person or family gets the basic hamper and we add to it according to the number of children and adults in the family.  Some will get diapers, formula, school lunch items, hygiene items ect as is necessary. 
 
Our starter hamper ( For 1 single Adult)
 
2 loaves bread, (buns and extra bakery items available on shelve in hall, donated weekly by SOBEYS) 2 can soup, 1 can chunky soup, 2 pack dry soup, 1 bag cookie, crackers, 2 canned fish (tuna, salmon, chicken ect) 1 pasta sauce, 1 can tomatoes, 1 can ravioli, coffee or tea,  1 litre juice, canned veg, 1 box cereal, bag of pasta, 2 KD, canned fruit (if no fresh available) 2 beans n sauce, 1 can bean (kidney, black ect) 2 cups sugar, 2 cups rice, 2 cups dry oats. 2 litres milk, bag oranges and apples(4-6pc), potatoes and carrots, margarine, half dozen eggs, p. butter, jam, 1 lb ground hamburger.  This is our bascic 1A hamper. When we get items like yogurt, fresh greens, sub sandwiches, veggie trays, cheese, chips, popcorn, cakes and pies it is added accordingly.  We also receive a lot of (non staple) hamper items which we get very excited about and those are the EXTRAS we can put in. Items like, muffin mix, cake mix, baking items, ketchup, mayo (condiments) hamburger helpers, taco kits ect. We always try to make sure when there are limited items of a certain donation that they are added according to need. Yogurt cups ect to families with children first, pancake mix would be added as a second cereal for bigger families ect.
 
From our basic hamper we add accordingly, more bread, soups, size of pasta, extra cereal, a four litre of milk as opposed to a 2 litre, extra fruit and so forth. School age children get juice boxes, granola bars, pudding cups and whatever we have for lunch items, muffin mixes ect.  It all depends on what we have that particular week.  We recognize that children who are effected in financial distress situations are already probably dealing with a lot of grown up pressures and we like for them to have the same kind of lunch items as their friend sitting next to them.  Parents have called in TEARS, thanking us for the lunch items because they know that these items in particular can get expensive over time especially when there is more than one child.  When you have to make your food dollar stretch, it helps to have these items on hand.  With what we are able to provide, they money they have available can purchase other items the household needs.  It takes a lot of pressure off. A lot of our families will pay their bills, rent, payments first and use what is left over for food, and in some cases it's not enough.
 
We just had a mother in with four children who all had the flu.  I was saddened that she felt she had to justify her need to use the food bank. She brought me in her receipts... of children tylenol, gravol, lozenges, ginger ale, receipt of prescriptions for antibiotics ect AND she had lost four days work.  So next week her pay is lower, and this week she had to borrow money to get the prescriptions.  Of course not all cases are so extreme..but a lot are.
 
Every three months I look at the numbers. As of the first of January we have served over 720 hampers. ( each hamper serves one individual or more )  Although the food bank does not purchase all of the food we give out, someone has... At approx 140.00 per hamper and 720 hampers, the community has issued approx $100,800 worth of food.
 
Thank you all so much for being such a strong force in the fight against hunger. With your commitment to supporting your local food bank, together we will continue to make a difference in the lives of so many here in this lovely community, we all get to call home.  God bless you all.
 
Most sincerely,
Gena - Marie Williamson
Director, Sylvan Lake Community Food Bank


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                 left to right: Pat Garritty - TREG, Rob Rolston - Alberta Red Cross, Jeremy Sexsmith - Buyer's Choice Home Inspections)
 
Slave Lake Relief BBQ - Thank You to All!

The BBQ we held on Saturday, June 11 was a complete success!
Thanks to the generosity of all who attended - even in the rain!  Because of you,
we were able to raise over $1800 in 3 hours! 

All proceeds went directly to the Red Cross Slave Lake Relief Fund.


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If you have any questions about any events, please contact our marketing department:  marketing@trilliantrealty.ca