Q&A with Vancouver's firefighter of the year: Why charitable work is so important to Justin Mulcahy
Peers nominated Mulcahy for his work with the Snacks for Kids program
Meet Justin Mulcahy, Vancouver's Firefighter of the Year. He didn't win the award for his work in the field however.
Mulcahy was chosen by his peers for his charitable work with Snacks for Kids, a volunteer-run program that provides meals for more than 2,000 students across East Vancouver.
He spoke to CBC Vancouver News at 6 host Anita Bathe about the charity, why it's close to his heart and what his hopes are for the program in the future.
Obviously this is a pretty big accomplishment. What does it mean to you?
First off, it's a huge honour because I'm fortunate to work with 800 extremely quality individuals who sort of pour their whole, every aspect of themselves into the job.
It's also a great honour to be selected for the award because it's based on our community service; things that go beyond the day-to-day work we do with Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services.
Tell us about the Snacks for Kids program and what you are providing for students.
Our program offers daily nutritional support to 2,000 inner city kids in Vancouver schools and we're in about 40 schools.
With the types of foods we offer, we try and have densely nutritious foods, things that kids firstly will consume that will give them the calories and food they need to do the day-to-day things.
What have you heard from the families and kids who have taken part in this program?
Every year, I receive cartons and cartons of thank you cards and and stuff from our partner schools both from the teachers as well as from the students.
I have two young kids myself so I know how important nutrition is for them, what they're like when they're hungry, and angry and so I know firsthand what this is all about.
Where do you hope the program will go in the future?
In a perfect world there'd be no need for a program like ours. What I would like to see with our program is to continue to engage the community because we've been successful thanks to the community support that we've received.
I'd just like to continue what we're doing and do the best we can for the kids in your schools.
This interview aired on CBC Vancouver News at 6 on November 22 and has been edited for clarity and structure. To hear the complete interview, watch it below:
