Turkeys to Arrow

Yesterday, we took a load of frozen turkeys to Arrow Branch. Arrow Credit Union once had the distinction of being the smallest credit union in British Columbia and perhaps smallest in western Canada, situated in Edgewood on the shores of Arrow Lake.

 The village of Edgewood was once on the shores of the Columbia River where the Inonoaklin River and the Columbia met. However, in 1968, the Hugh Keenleyside Dam was completed, flooding the Columbia Valley for 230 km to  Revelstoke. The village of Edgewood had to be moved to higher ground.

 The residents of Edgewood make their living mostly from forestry and agriculture and are known for their rural and individualistic lifestyle, as in most rural towns and villages in Canada. People work hard, know their neighbours, and are connected more to their communities than in urban areas.

 Back to turkeys. VantageOne Credit Union in Vernon, BC, gives a turkey for Christmas to every member household, as a token of appreciation for the banking partnership. When Arrow Credit Union joined with VantageOne, members of the board and management began making the drive over Monashee Pass with a trailer full of frozen turkeys.

 

 The arrival of the birds has been known to cause a traffic jam in front of the Arrow Branch.

 The Great Gobble Give-Away has turned out to be a great means for credit union board members to meet many of the membership who they normally would have no contact with. Normally, the tellers in any bank are the "face" of that bank but this is an opportunity for the behind-the-scenes people to directly pitch in.

 

Merry Christmas.