COMMUNITY
SHABIRA’S SHINING CHEFS
(Formally known as The Shining Youth Chefs)
Here at ECO DINE it is not only sustainable solutions that we hold dear to our hearts, we are just as enthusiastic about bettering the community we live in, and caring for the people who live in it.
We have a devoted involvement with the communities of Calgary through our program, Shabira’s Shining Chefs, as well as our individual staff’s involvement in helping the homeless. With their personal passions for recycling and helping others, our drivers on their own accord, began collecting bottles and cans left in garbage areas around the city while on their route. They then distribute them to the senior homeless individuals they come across while collecting your oil. We couldn’t be more proud of the people working with ECO DINE!
Always looking for ways to better the planet and the community we live in, Shabira’s Shining Chefs was born.
We currently work with a variety of shelters through The Boys and Girls Club, and Safe Haven Foundation’s Haven’s Way Program. Each month, per shelter, we bring in one of our partnering chefs to volunteer an evening of their time. Our chefs teach at risk youth living in these homes how to make nutritious meals, while learning important cooking skills along the way. Our goal is for the youth to recognize their own skills while following our chefs’ footsteps as a mentor, building confidence and enthusiasm; while gaining independence in the kitchen, preparing our youth for life on their own outside of the homes.
Chefs and restaurants have the option to be publicly recognized for their volunteered time and community development.
For more information or to participate in our monthly events please don’t hesitate to contact us. Our community is important to us!
Who is Shabira?
Shabira, the dedicated mother of our operating owner, is the reason ECO DINE has become the successful company it is today. She single handily created our business model, trained the front of house staff, and wore more hats than anyone could keep track of, all while working a second job in the realty industry with her husband, Immy.
However, the person that Shabira was, and the impact that she left on absolutely everyone she met, is what defines her. Shabira was a mother first and foremost, her devotion as a nurturer influenced every aspect of her life. Our entire team, to this day, still calls her momzie, mama, or some variation of mother; because she was just that, a genuinely loving mom to those who needed it most. Shabira was an incredible woman, to whom words can never do adequate justice; as to be in her presence, was to feel whole heartedly loved to your core. Although she has now left us physically, after a courageous battle with cancer, she still remains within every person she has touched.
She held our volunteer programs very close to her heart, and was always excited to hear how each and every single event went; fulfilling her desire to help those who needed it most. Her legacy lives on in the communities that she brought so much light to, in the children she raised, and to those lost as well as found; who she freely gave guidance and comfort to. This is why we are honoured to rename our program after this beautiful woman.
May her love always continue to be shared to those who are without.
Rest In Peace
Shabira (1964 - 2019)