Chilliwack – Chilliwack City Council is honoured to announce that Mike Csoka is the seventh recipient of the Order of Chilliwack medal, an award to recognize citizens for outstanding achievement or contribution to our community.
Mike Csoka was born on October 31, 1962 and passed away on February 3, 2021. Throughout his life, Mike gave back to the community of Chilliwack. When he became the director of the Chilliwack Community Correctional Centre in downtown Chilliwack, Mike learned of a group of students at the nearby school that were going to class hungry, and he began making them sandwiches each day. This small act of kindness 30 years ago grew into an organized movement, and Mike, as the founder and past president of the Chilliwack Bowls of Hope Society, found a way to ensure Chilliwack’s school children did not have to go hungry.
“Our community will forever be grateful for the incredible work Mike did feeding students in Chilliwack. We all know that everything is a little more difficult when you are hungry. Thanks to Bowls of Hope, hungry children and youth have the ability to eat a good meal and re-focus their minds on productive activities, instead of wondering when they will eat next,” said Mayor Ken Popove.
His legacy continues through the work of Bowls of Hope, as the organization feeds over 850 children in Chilliwack every day, thanks to more than 120 volunteers. In 2017, Mike was the recipient of the UFV Betty Urquhart Community Service award. This award honoured his commitment to life-long learning and community. Most recently, Mike Csoka served as an integral part of the City’s Integrated Community Safety Task Force.
The Order of Chilliwack was established in 2001 and is an award granted by Chilliwack City Council to deserving citizens or groups in the community. The purpose of the award is to recognize outstanding achievements or long-term contributions to the community. Previous recipients include John Jansen, the Honourable Steven Point and Dr. Gwen Point, Brian Minter, Fred Bryant, the Chilliwack Rotary Club, and Dorothy Kostrzewa.
