Barka Canada would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. This year has been a busy one for us and our friends at Barka Poland, who opened their hearts and homes to many refugees from Ukraine. We helped organize a benefit concert put on by the BC Canadian Polish Congress which raised $4,100 which was used to directly support those who fled the war into Poland.

Our Barka Canada team spent almost 1000 hours this summer cultivating crops at the community farm, which were sold to fund our outreach program. We are confident that our investment in organic heirloom garlic will yield dividends next harvest. We are thankful to share our harvest with those who need it this Christmas, and that we can enjoy it together in peace, knowing so many around the world are not so fortunate.

We join Pope Francis in prayer:

Give us the strength daily to be instruments of peace; enable us to see everyone who crosses our path as our brother or sister. Make us sensitive to the plea of our citizens who entreat us to turn our weapons of war into implements of peace, our trepidation into confident trust, and our quarreling into forgiveness.

Keep alive within us the flame of hope, so that with patience and perseverance we may opt for dialogue and reconciliation. In this way may peace triumph at last, and may the words “division”, “hatred” and “war” be banished from the heart of every man and woman. Lord, defuse the violence of our tongues and our hands. Amen

We would like to thank everyone who contributed their time, money, equipment, and warm wishes to make our farm in Abbotsford a success!

This year we produced delicious and organic cucumbers, zucchini, patty pan squash, summer squash, kale and garlic. It took many long days of hard work to make our farm flourish. Our team bonded by overcoming difficulties (greenhouse blown away by wind) and we are already making plans for the next season.

A special thank you goes to Russ and Lynn for allowing us to use their land. None of this would have been possible without your generosity and support!

The recent floods have reminded us how important it is to support local agriculture. Barka’s roots are in farming and helping people reconnect with nature and health, so this year we began a fundraising project in Abbotsford.

All of our initiatives are led by volunteers, but we need funding to cover our operating costs and to reach more people. With your generosity, we will be able to rent larger meeting spaces and pay for transportation (gas).

To raise money, our gardeners will be selling locally grown nutritious vegetables from a Community Farm – to learn more about the project please watch our video:

This holiday season, please consider contributing to our fundraiser:

• pre-purchase organic garlic $15/lb harvest summer 2022
• purchase a beautiful Perpetual Birthday Calendar $20 each
• donate your recycled bottles and cans
• donate money directly

For a PayPal donation, please specify the items in the note section.

Thank you for all your support, we wish you all a safe and warm Christmas and New Year.

The year of 2020 has been one of many changes for the Barka network, including the passing of its founder – Tomasz Sadowski – on December 29, 2019, in Chudopczyce in Poland. For over 30 years, his courage, enthusiasm, and determination has been a blessing for everyone who knew him. Members of Barka Canada have many fond memories of him, which are impossible to put into words. The success of our projects is a tribute to Tom’s vision of promoting loving kindness and uplifting those who are most needy. Thank you for inspiring us!

Barka Canada has initiated a partnership with two practicum students from Rhodes Wellness College in Vancouver, BC, to present a series of four workshops related to communication and mental health. The first workshop, on Non-Violent Communication, took place on April 26, 2019 (see the workshop’s poster). The remaining three workshops will be held between July and October 2019:

• Creating Healthy Boundaries
  on Thursday July 4, 2019, 6:30-8:30 PM, in Surrey City Centre Library, Room 402. See the workshop’s poster.
• Mental Health and Addictions
  on Thursday August 15, 2019, 6:30-8:30 PM, in Surrey City Centre Library, Room 402. See the workshop’s poster.
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Trauma
  on Thursday October 3, 2019, 6:30-8:30 PM, in Surrey City Centre Library, Room 402 (address: 10350 University Drive, Surrey, BC, V3T 4C3).
  See the workshop’s poster.

All workshops are open to everybody and FREE to attend. You are welcome to join us!

The workshop that took place in April, on Non-Violent Communication, was very interesting. An effective communication strategy was described, explained, and demonstrated. This communication strategy is based on the person first recognizing his or her own needs, as well as those of the other person in the interaction. These needs are then both acknowledged and communicated with empathy and respect. The purpose is to minimize conflict and increase mutual understanding.

The workshop was also very well prepared. It included PowerPoint slides and demonstrations of non-violent communication skills. Participants were encouraged to take part in discussions throughout the whole 2 hour session.