Fred Scaife, long time executive director of the Red Deer Food Bank, accepts a cheque from the Young Guns Charity Golf committee in 2019. (Supplied)

By Sheldon Spackman

Time To Move On

Fred Scaife calls it a career at Red Deer Food Bank

May 22, 2020 | 2:51 PM

It’s the end of an era at the Red Deer Food Bank Society.

After more than 21 years of service, executive director Fred Scaife has announced he’s leaving the organization due to ongoing health challenges.

Scaife admits it’s a huge life decision he didn’t take lightly.

“Technically, I’ve been off on medical leave for almost six months now,” Scaife shares. “The first leave was up until March, and I went back in March and lasted about 10 days. So technically I’m still on sick leave and in all honesty, when I go to see my doctor next week, I know he’s probably going to extend that leave and I just feel that after six months, an organization like the food bank can’t be held in limbo like that.”

Scaife feels long-time deputy director Alice Kolisnyk is more than ready to take over leadership of the organization.

provincial federal agreement

Red Deer to receive government funding to address unsheltered homelessness

15m ago

march 4-6

Innisfail RCMP arrest 16, conduct 22 arrest warrants over three days

16h ago

MARCH 7 EVENT

Dress for Success Alberta sees sell-out success at first International Women's Day Power Lunch

16h ago

“Alice in so many ways is the right person to lead,” he exclaims. “She’s just a great all around administrator and she’s worked with me for over 10 years. Alice has plain and simple more than earned the position that she’s been thrust into. It’s time.”

Scaife says the time off and COVID-19 pandemic has allowed him to do a lot of soul searching about his future. Retirement will give him more time with his kids, a grandson in B.C., and his ailing mother.

Looking back over his two decades at the helm, Scaife says he’s had the privilege of meeting many great people.

“The donors have always been receptive and trusting and they should be,” says Scaife. “And the clients, my life has been made better simply by getting to know them. So many people that will literally live inside of me for years-to-come because the impact they’ve had on my life has been so tremendous in different ways.”

Scaife says working at the food bank has changed his and his family’s lives for the better, giving them both guidance and purpose.

“My daughters, all three of them have been engaged at some time or another and on some level or another with the food bank,” adds Scaife. “Volunteering, whether it was at BBQs, whether it was in the warehouse, fundraisers, whatever the case may be. I think the impact on our family was just so positive, it’s hard to quantify and I’m so proud to say my daughters are still community-engaged and still believe in social justice the same as I do.”

The generosity of Red Deerians has never ceased to amaze him, he admits.

“I can’t think of one single time I stepped up to a microphone and said, ‘Hey everybody, we need this,’ and it wasn’t returned in spades,” he remarks. “Every single time I asked, the people of this wonderful community called Red Deer would step up.”

Saying he’d be remiss to not thank all the staff and volunteers at the food bank for their hard work, he added, “I’ve worked with many tremendous people. When I look at our volunteers, I see them moving these boxes full of what-not and some of those boxes can be 40 pounds. I’m watching and I think, ‘Wow, they’re not getting paid for this!’ What kind of a special person does that?”

More information on the food bank is at RedDeerFoodBank.com.

For local news delivered daily to your email inbox, subscribe for free to the rdnewsNOW newsletter here. You can also download the rdnewsNOW mobile app in the Google Play and the Apple App Stores.