I arrived at the Mission Food Centre early yesterday afternoon, just as a small crowd gathered outside the humble brick building. This wasn’t the typical lineup of clients waiting for food assistance. Instead, a palpable buzz of excitement hung in the air as Mitch Cormier, the food bank’s manager for nearly seven years, stood somewhat uncomfortably in the spotlight.
“I’m just doing my job,” Cormier told me, visibly moved as he clutched the gleaming silver medallion bearing King Charles III’s profile. “There are dozens of volunteers who deserve this recognition more than I do.”
The King Charles III Coronation Medal, created to commemorate the monarch’s May 2023 coronation, recognizes Canadians who have made significant contributions to their communities. MP Brad Vis personally selected Cormier from among countless deserving citizens in the Mission-Matsqui-Fraser Canyon riding.
“Food security isn’t just about filling bellies,” Vis explained during the presentation ceremony. “It’s about dignity and community resilience. Mitch embodies the spirit of service that connects our monarchical traditions with everyday Canadian compassion.”
What makes Cormier’s recognition particularly poignant is the timing. Mission Food Centre has seen demand surge by nearly 40% since 2021, according to their quarterly service reports. The facility now assists over 1,200 individuals monthly, including an increasing number of working families caught in the vice grip of inflation and housing costs.
“Ten years ago, most of our clients were individuals experiencing homelessness or living on disability assistance,” Cormier explained as he showed me around the facility. “Now we’re seeing parents with full-time jobs who simply can’t make ends meet after paying rent.”
The coronation medal program has distributed approximately 30,000 medals across Canada, according to Heritage Canada. Recipients include veterans, first responders, community volunteers, and others who exemplify service. While some have questioned the relevance of monarchical traditions in modern Canada, the program has successfully highlighted grassroots leadership often overlooked by traditional recognition systems.
Linda Johnson, a volunteer who has worked alongside Cormier for five years, wasn’t surprised by his selection. “Mitch transformed how we operate,” she told me while sorting donations. “He understood early on that food insecurity isn’t just a poverty issue—it’s connected to housing, mental health, and social isolation.”
Under Cormier’s leadership, the Mission Food Centre evolved beyond emergency food provision. They now offer cooking classes, budget counseling, and community meals that bring together clients and volunteers around the same table—a subtle but powerful erasure of the typical donor-recipient dynamic that can sometimes reinforce social divisions.
Mission Mayor Paul Horn attended the ceremony and highlighted the broader significance of Cormier’s work. “Food security is increasingly becoming a municipal issue, even though it falls outside our traditional jurisdiction,” Horn said. “Leaders like Mitch help us understand how local solutions can address national challenges.”
The medal itself, crafted in Canada and featuring both official languages, symbolizes the unique constitutional monarchy that frames our governance system. For recipients like Cormier, however, the honor represents something more immediate and tangible.
“I’ll probably put it in a drawer somewhere,” he admitted with a characteristic chuckle. “But what matters is that people are talking about food security. If this recognition helps more folks understand that hunger exists in their own neighborhoods, then it’s worth all the fuss.”
Before leaving the food bank, I watched Cormier seamlessly transition from reluctant honoree back to his daily role—helping a young mother navigate paperwork, directing volunteers unloading a produce delivery, and troubleshooting a refrigeration issue. The medal was already tucked away in his office drawer.
Recent data from Food Banks Canada shows British Columbia experiencing some of the highest increases in food bank usage nationwide, with a 33% jump between 2019 and 2023. The organization’s HungerCount report indicates this trend crosses urban-rural divides, affecting communities like Mission particularly hard due to limited social service infrastructure compared to larger centers.
“The medal is wonderful recognition,” said Abbotsford-Mission MLA Pam Alexis, who also attended the ceremony. “But what Mitch really needs is sustainable funding and broader systemic changes that address why so many working Canadians can’t afford basic necessities.”
As the ceremony concluded and operations returned to normal, the Mission Food Centre’s parking lot filled with the usual Thursday afternoon clients—seniors, young families, and individuals from all walks of life united by food insecurity. Several congratulated Cormier as they collected their groceries, evidence of the relationships he’s built beyond the transactional nature of food distribution.
For Cormier, the medal represents something larger than individual achievement. “This belongs to everyone who makes our work possible,” he insisted, gesturing toward volunteers and community partners. “And most importantly, to the courage of people who walk through our doors asking for help. That takes more bravery than anything I’ve done.”
The King Charles III Coronation Medal may bear royal imagery, but in places like Mission, it ultimately celebrates the most Canadian of values—community service without fanfare, practical compassion, and the quiet dignity of helping neighbors through difficult times.
