International Food Festival

Christmas Toy Drive | Collecte de jouets

"A l'approche de Noël, les équipes de RochamBIO ont à cœur de s'engager auprès des associations locales pour venir en aide aux familles précaires de la région. Cette démarche est en accord avec les valeurs de partage et de solidarité portées par les élèves pour qui les Objectifs de Développement Durable (ODD #1) ne sont pas de vains mots ! Ils organisent donc des "semaines de la Solidarité" qui débuteront le 23 novembre lors de l'International Food Festival. 

Les éco-délégués et éco-élèves s'engagent en partenariat avec Making Home Possible et NCCF pour centraliser une collecte de jouets/jeux/livres en anglais qui seront ensuite acheminés par leur soins vers les associations partenaires. Ils consacreront également quelques heures avant les vacances de Noël pour emballer les cadeaux auxquels s'ajouteront des cartes de Noël confectionnées par les élèves de l'élémentaire. 

Ils attendent donc vos dons, qu'ils espèrent nombreux : RDV au stand RochamBIO lors du Food Festival pour le lancement de l'opération !"

With Christmas just around the corner, the RochamBIO teams are keen to get involved with local charities to help disadvantaged families in the region. This approach is in line with the values of sharing and solidarity shared by all the students, for whom the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG #1) are not just empty words! They are therefore organising ‘Solidarity Weeks’, starting on 23 November during the International Food Festival.

The eco-delegates and eco-students will be working in partnership with Making Home Possible and NCCF to centralise a drive of toys/games/books in English, which they will then take to the partner associations. They will also devote a few hours before the Christmas holidays to wrapping the gifts, which will be supplemented by Christmas cards made by the primary school pupils.

They are looking forward to receiving your donations, which they hope will be in large numbers: come and see them at the RochamBIO stand at the Food Festival to launch the operation!"

Limited parking is available on the Forest road campus on a first come first serve basis:

• Parking lots inside the campus (no parking around the loop)
• Access Road Parking lot
• Along the 2 sides of Access Road

The Bethesda Country Day School parking lots are also available for our families.

Please do not use the parking lots of St Jane de Chantal.

We will be running shuttles from Grovesnor/Strathmore Metro starting from 10:30am to 3:30pm (every 15 mins).  To avoid traffic, we recommend using the shuttles, or carpooling, or coming by foot, bike or public transportation. 

Thank you for your assistance in this matter. 

This is a volunteer led event - the countries represented are led by volunteers. The event is organized by the Rochambeau events department in coordination with PAR.   

• What is the difference between a table-lead and table-volunteer?

  • Table leads (chef de table) have the responsibilities listed below.  Table volunteers (sous chef) will bring a dish; they are also welcome to help in any other way such as by decorating the table, hosting during the event, etc. 

    • Table Leads Responsibilities

      • Represent a country, region or theme at a table at the International Food Festival 

      • Bring a dish or dishes that you would like to showcase 

      • Coordinate with families and friends to bring dishes, decorate, and to spend a bit of time during the event supervising behind the table

      • Send the recipe(s) to Communications for a Rochambeau Cookbook by November 15th

      • Engage with festival attendees, sharing the cultural significance of your dishes 

      • Assist with event clean-up and teardown of your table

• I don't know how to find other people for my country/table!

  • We will happily connect you with other families. Please sign up or reach out to PAR contacts: Tatevik Gevorgyan et Rebecca Louve Yao .

• Why should I do this?

  • For fun!  For friends!  For free tickets!

• I have more questions - whom do I ask?
  • Please email us communication@rochambeau.org and let us know what is on your mind.  We will also be hosting a online meetings, so please let us know if you are interested.

• Are we cooking food or buying food to bring?

  • You may cook or purchase food; that is up to your and your fellow volunteers. 

• What kind of food should I bring?

  • Main dishes, appetizers, sides, savory snacks, desserts, etc.  We are aiming for easy individual portions.   You can bring food for people to enjoy at the event, as well as to take home with them.  Again - up to you and your fellow volunteers

• How much food should we cook?

  • Keep in mind this will be a well-attended event and we should aim to have a large amount of each dish, if possible.  You could either double/triple your recipes and/or coordinate and share recipes so multiple people are making the same thing.  

•  What about the no-nut policy?

  • All food must be clearly labeled with all the ingredients.  Any food with nuts will be clearly labeled.  It will not be possible to make this event fully nut-free, as food will be brought from family kitchens and facilities that deal with nuts and other possible allergens

• Should I bring decorations for my table?

  • Yes!  Rochambeau staff and PAR will be coordinating location logistics, parking, electrical outlet needs, tables, chairs, etc.  Food, decorations, fun is brought by the volunteers!

• I have a traditional craft that I would like to make and sell, is that possible?

  • Absolutely.  Please coordinate with your PAR reps and fellow table members.

• Can I play music at my table?

  • Highly unlikely as we anticipate the gym being a rather boisterous venue.  However, if there is music you would like to be played, please email communication@rochambeau.org

• How do I keep my food hot/cold?

  • Outlets and extension cords will be provided; we encourage you to bring crockpots (not hotplates and other kitchen electronics as these pose a fire-hazard) and make sure to label them so everyone knows they are yours!  Don’t have a crockpot?  Coordinate with your fellow volunteers!  Still can’t find one?  Email us.  Need to keep a dish cold?  We will be providing coolers and ice if you let us know they are needed ahead of time -  please mark this in the volunteer sheet and/or email us.

• Forks, spoons, plates?

  • Rochambeau will be providing utensils, plates, napkins. (That said if you have something special you would like to bring, please do.)

• Serving spoons, platters?

  • We encourage you to bring this (and use disposable if you are worried about keeping track of it).  

• What is the size of the tables?

  • This will depend on your needs and how many volunteers/dishes your country is providing.  We have both 6’ and 9’ tables (30” deep).

• Do I get a budget for this?

  • This is a community fundraising event, so we are all working together to donate our time and resources to benefit the school.