The Journey of Pete the Pizza
July 2024
Hi! My name’s Pete. My full name is actually Pete Peralta the Pizza from Pace Processing, but you can call me Pete. Like 4,684 of my pizza siblings who’ve gone before me, it’s been my life’s dream to help West Coast Kids Cancer Foundation (WCK). I can do this by filling the tummy of a family member who’s affected by childhood cancer or a blood disorder, making them feel good and giving them energy to keep going. I’m so happy to tell you that my time has come! Here’s the diary of my greatest adventure.
The adventure begins
My journey starts in the Pace Processing factory. They’re the company that makes delicious pizza like me. Corrie from the WCK team collects me from the warehouse and I know that my adventure has begun. After leaving the warehouse, Corrie drives my food buddies and I to the WCK office, where she tells us we will stay in the freezer for a short while.
At the WCK office, the food team organizes us into the freezers so that the food that’s been in there the longest gets to go to families first. It’s only fair that we take turns. Corrie tells me that pizza is so popular that I won’t have to wait very long at all.
On the road again
Before I know it, it’s time to be packed into a box for a family! My dream is coming true. A delivery courier is coming today to collect the meals, so the WCK volunteers pack me safely into a cool box with a silver squishy liner so I will stay nice and frozen for the whole time.
The boxes are packed to make sure that we stay safely chilled for at least 24 hours, plenty of time to get to our destination family without getting yucky.
The courier rings the WCK doorbell and I know that my journey is continuing! The box I’m snuggled into gets loaded into the truck, and the destination is set to Evan’s house, with lots of stops to other houses along the way.
I snooze while the courier drives us in the truck, and wake up again when we arrive at the family’s address. I’m so excited that my mozzarella strands are shivering with anticipation!
The big arrival
I feel honoured to have been chosen for Evan’s family. Once the box has been delivered and carried into their kitchen, Evan and his mom pick me out of the pile of meals with a big smile on their faces! Now I finally get to fulfill my dream of filling a tummy!
About WCK
Thank you for reading the diary of my big WCK adventure. I wanted to share with you some cool facts I learned about WCK:
- WCK meals have already travelled nearly 100,000km across B.C. to get to families in the hospital and at home!
- Last year, WCK delivered 260 boxes full of food to families at home to fill their tummies and make them smile.
- WCK has delivered food to 35 cities across British Columbia. The furthest delivery so far was to Fort Saint John, which is over 1,200 km away from the WCK office in Burnaby.
- Pizza is a comfort food for lots of people. Is it one of your favourites? But other people prefer other meals. That’s why WCK is growing their choices of meals, so that people can choose their very favourite thing that will make them feel warm and fuzzy inside.
- WCK food is for anyone in the family. If a kid is getting treatment for cancer or a blood disorder, sometimes they only have an appetite for a short time in the day. WCK meals in the hospital freezer heat up so quickly that they can eat when they feel ready to eat. We also love to feed their siblings, because we like to remind them of how much they matter too. Parents can sometimes forget to look after themselves when they’re focused on looking after their child, so the easy meals can help to keep them nourished.
Wonderful kids and teens who help us
Incredible, awesome, amazing young people who raise money for WCK make it possible for me and my food friends to get to families in the hospital and at home. From birthday fundraisers to PJ days at school, every dollar helps kids and families to feel cared for.
Would you like to help? Here’s some info about how fun and easy fundraising for WCK can be: