A founding member of the Rhineland and Area Food Bank has been given a provincial award for her decades of dedication to the community. Angelika Stoesz was nominated for the Volunteer Manitoba Community Leadership award by her peers at Winnipeg Harvest.

Stoesz says the recognition came as quite the surprise but quickly transformed into exciting news after processing it all. "(It's) quite humbling because there's so very many people who are also volunteering many hours, so it was great to be recognized and I will certainly pass it on to other people that are in the same organizations."

Stoesz first got involved with the local food bank in 1996 when the idea was proposed by Altona United Church Pastor Bob Stark one Sunday morning. "He says 'Do we think that Altona would need a food bank and would somebody like to step up and volunteer and form a committee?' I thought that was something I could do and so I stepped up along with a number of other people in the congregation."

She says the Rhineland and Area Food Bank first opened its doors on the first Monday of May, 1997 using supplies donated from the Red Cross that had set up an office in Altona during the Flood of the Century earlier that spring. Stoesz adds, that first day saw two clients use the food bank. Today, the organization serves forty to fifty clients per week.

In line with her work at the food bank, Stoesz has also helped plan and organize the Altona Christmas Day Dinner for the past twenty years.

And while she's dedicated over two decades to the local food bank, Stoesz has also tirelessly raised money for other organizations. She's brought-in upwards of $70,000 Challenge for Life breast cancer fund raiser, formerly known as The Weekend to End Breast Cancer. Stoesz explains, her involvement began as a challenge to herself.

She admits having raised nearly $100,000 during the event is quite mind-boggling and just goes to show how awesome the community is. "I've raised a fair amount of money but the people who know me and are with me and support me, they are the ones that raised the money."

Reflecting on her volunteer career, Stoesz says she's met some wonderful people and seen a great community built around volunteering. "I always say that if I'm having fun I'm still going to do it."