Local Church Unveils Community Garden For Food Insecurity Awareness

All Saints' Anglican Church unveiled their community vegetable garden where their crops will be donated to several local communities and organizations to spread food insecurity awareness on Monday.

Reverend Suzanna McMillan (left) and Reverend Samantha Caravan (right) in front of one of five vegetable garden boxes that will continually grow crops for local communities. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Located at the south end of the church, the All Saints’ Peterborough Community Garden will supply vegetables to organizations such as Food Not Bombs, Kawartha Food Share, Prince of Wales School’s breakfast program and YWCA Nourish.

“We obviously love to distribute fresh foods to our member agencies so the fact that they’ve taken this to the next level and are willing to support their families with healthy nutritious food items, it’s so great,” said Ashlee Aitken, Kawartha Food Share general manager.

The garden was built not only as a way to help the community but inspire others to help fight against food insecurity and start their own initiative. Reverend Samantha Caravan said the church believes in food equity and that no one should have to worry about having food on their plate every day.

“We really want to engage with people to help them grow their own food in their own backyards,” she said. “It’s not about just filling empty bellies, it’s really building a relationship with people who live and work in this neighbourhood.”

McMillan helped plant, water, weed and caretake the garden since it was created in early June. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The garden was dedicated to Reverend Suzanne McMillan who serves as the church’s diaconate for over 15 years. The honour came as a surprise to McMillan when Caravan revealed the plaque to the public.

“The priest beside me (Caravan) is filled with wonderful surprises like this. Honouring the people for the work they do,” she said. “I was delighted but very surprised.”

“Suzanne has been the driving force around here for justice issues,” said Caravan. “With her energy and time, we wanted to honour that commitment to her fellow people with this.”

The five garden boxes are 6x25x3 inches in length. Rain barrels are used to help maintain the gardens to offset the cost of water. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The gardens were planted in the first week of June and contain crops such as onions, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, squash and lettuce. The church plans to grow enough tomatoes to hold canning sessions for community distribution.

The church plans to continually use the gardens to crops as long as possible for community distribution.

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United Way Delivering “Day of Caring” Donations For Students and Shelters

Local shelters and students will receive more than 100 kits each donated by the community and collected by United Way’s “Day of Caring” announced on Wednesday.

School supplies such as backpacks, pencil crayons, markers, notebooks, paper and more were school supply items donated to the United Way. Photo Courtesy of United Way.

More than 120 local residents donated 275 kits worth of items (135 for local shelters and 139 for students) at the United Way office in downtown Peterborough last Wednesday. Brant Office Supply contributed more than 200 facemasks to be included in all kits. 

Personal hygiene and care product kits are for the local shelters. Backpacks filled with school supplies are for the students of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board as part of the United Way’s “Backpacks For Kids” program.

The community collection drive was a departure from past “Day of Caring” events that had volunteers working on local projects and instead focused on meeting the immediate needs of those in our community who are financially insecure, precariously housed or homeless. 

Toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, body wash, sanitizer, shampoo, feminine hygiene products, bandages and more were in the personal care kits. Photo Courtesy of United Way.

Jim Russell, district C.E.O. was overcome with pride at being part of such a generous and giving community.

“To hear stories from so many people as to what inspired them to give to this initiative really served to bring home to me that we are lucky to live, work and play in such an empathetic and caring community,” he said. “One young girl heard the call to action on the news and spent her allowance to create a kit… … She said that when she first came to Peterborough, she received a backpack through her school and will never forget how proud and lucky that made her feel so was excited for the chance to pay it forward.”

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Local Business Owner Makes Large Donation to Humane Society

Peter Blodgett, Darling Insurance owner has donated $100,000 to the Peterborough Humane Society’s construction of their new animal care centre according to a press release on Thursday.

Peter Blodgett sits with his dog Lexie. Blodgett owns Darling Insurance in the Peterborough, Lakefield and Omemee locations. Photo Courtesy of the Peterborough Humane Society.

The building is located at 1999 Technology Dr. in Peterborough where construction began in May.

"Truthfully, I'm allergic to all animals, but I have been involved in the farm community throughout my life and have a great appreciation for animals big and small." Peter shares "I've been observing the work of the Peterborough Humane Society and the positive impact they are making in our community over the past few years and wanted to get behind their mission.”

Blodgett, President of Darling Insurance, has made a generous gift of $100K to the Our Pet Project fundraising campaign for the Peterborough Animal Care Centre, the Peterborough Humane Society’s innovative animal wellness facility which broke ground at 1999 Technology Dr. last month.

Blodgett is well known for supporting charitable causes in the community. He is a founding member of “Loonies on the Street” and has helped raise nearly $2 million dollars for Kawartha Food Share over the past 20 years. He has also served on many boards, including Peterborough Musicfest and chairing Fairhaven long-term care home’s capital campaign.

Blodgett has been a long-standing supporter of charities as he is a founding member of “Loonies on the Street” and has helped raise over $2 million for Kawartha Food Share in the past 20 years. He has been board member for several organizations including Peterborough Musicfest and Capital Campaign for Fairhaven.

“Peter has been a wonderful friend and supporter of the Peterborough Humane Society for years but this recent donation truly has us humbled,” says Shawn Morey, PHS Executive Director. “The fact that he recognizes the value of our new Centre and what it will do for Peterborough & the Kawarthas is phenomenal. It’s individuals like Peter who make this community as strong as it is.”

In recognition of the donation, the lounge in the Adoption Centre Lobby of the new Centre will be named the “Peter D. Blodgett Darling Insurance Lounge.”

This contribution has now totalled $7.6 million of the $10 million fundraising goal.

For more information or to donate to the new Peterborough Animal Care Centre, visit www.ourpetproject.ca.

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Peterborough's Generosity Fuels Food Drive By Kawartha Food Share

The bins were filling up with donated goods as Kawartha Food Share (KFS) held its month-long county-wide food drive at Morello’s Independent Grocer on Friday.

Customers were quickly filling up the donation bins at Morello’s Independent Grocer at Willowcreek Plaza. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The food drive will restock food banks across the county that saw higher demand for food during the pandemic according to Ashlee Aitken, KFS general manager.

The event is one of five stops that will take place during the month of June in five different cities in Peterborough County. All proceeds donated at Morello’s will be donated to the Apsley food bank which lost Sayer’s Foods last December to a fire.

The other food drives will take place in Bridgenorth, Buckhorn, Havelock and Lakefield every Saturday of the month. All items donated will be circulated in their town’s respective food banks.

Each food drive is being from from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith and a few volunteers were present to collect food and cash donations and give away free items such as reusable bags and water bottles.

“We’ve had a number of people who’ve come and said they changed their day just so they can come out and make a donation to Kawartha Food Share today,” said Smith. “It’s fabulous to see the generosity in our community. So many people looking out for their neighbours, it’s just wonderful.”

Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith helped Kawartha Food Share last November in their “Winter is Coming Food Drive” which raised almost $40,000 in cash and food donations. Photo by David Tuan Bui

Morello’s donated $500 to the campaign according to one of Smith’s volunteers. The grocery store had prepackaged food bank bags available for purchase for either $10 or $20.

Several bins were already full of donated goods by the first half-hour of the food drive according to Smith.

Food Bank Bags were piled at the store’s entrance to be purchased and donated to Kawartha Food Share. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

KFS distributes 150,000-200,000 pounds of food in a month which feeds over 9,000 individuals.

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Local Man Gives Generous Donation to Build Peterborough Animal Care Centre

Glenn Stonehouse has made a generous gift of $300K to the fundraising campaign for the Peterborough Animal Care Centre on Monday.

Photo Courtesy of Peterborough Humane Society.

The building is the Peterborough Humane Society’s innovative animal wellness facility designed for our community set to break ground in 2021.

Stonehouse, owner and president of Wildfire Golf Club and One Fine Food, has made a generous gift of $300,000 to the fundraising campaign for the new centre. The local business owner shared that his philanthropic focus always comes back to two key causes, underprivileged children and animals.

“A couple of years back, I had the opportunity to be involved with the Peterborough Humane Society (PHS) learning about their goals and development in animal wellness,” said Stonehouse. “Through these discussions, I got a close view of the inner workings of PHS and the great work the organization is doing in our community, which is why I was excited to be a part of this very important build”.

A project of future kennels for the Peterborough Animal Care Centre. Photo Courtesy of Peterborough Humane Society.

Growing up on the family farm in Owen Sound, Glenn developed a deep love and respect for animals early on. He always had dogs in his life from working dogs on the farm, show dogs and as companions. Glenn came to the Peterborough area 25 years ago when he bought a cottage on Stony Lake and fell in love with the area.

“We’re simply blown away by Glenn’s generosity. His commitment to the health and wellness of our community and the animals within it is going to make a huge impact on the future of animal wellness,” said Shawn Morey, Peterborough Humane Society’s executive director. “In recognition of Stonehouse’s gift, the Dog Adoption Program at the new Centre will be named the Glenn Allan Stonehouse Dog Adoption Program. Thanks to Stonehouse’s support, while dogs are waiting to find their forever families, they will benefit from top-level care during their time at the Centre.”

Stonehouse walks his dog through his 6,800-yard golf course, the Wildfire Golf Club in Lakefield. Photo Courtesy of Peterborough Humane Society.

The dog kennels at the new centre will not only be larger but also have indoor/outdoor access, providing the dogs with more space and freedom to enjoy outdoor and indoor spaces as they choose.

The kennels will be grouped in pods to reduce noise and stress upon the dogs. Sliding guillotine doors will allow the kennels to double in size, should the need arise. Beyond improved kennel space, the dogs will benefit from access to greater opportunities for enrichment and socialization.

While Glenn’s generous gift brings PHS closer to its goal, the Peterborough Humane Society still needs support to cross the finish line and build its new Centre. Fundraising for the new centre has raised $7.5 million of the $10 million goal since the donation.

Community members interested in making their own impact on the future of animal wellness and help build the new Animal Care Centre are encouraged to visit ourpetproject.ca and contact Alex Tindale.

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"Porch Pirates for Good" Community Food Drive to Benefit Kawartha Food Share

Hoist the mainsails because the porch pirates are coming to get your treasure for Kawartha Food Share.

(from left to right) Susan Dunkley, Lois Tuffin, Ashlee Aitken and Megan Murphy taking the “Porch Pirates for Food” gimmick to another level. Every $1 donation gets $6 of food purchasing power for the food drive. Photo Courtesy of Megan Murphy.

“Porch Pirates for Food” volunteers will collect non-perishable foods and/or money left in front of houses for Kawartha Food Share as a food drive campaign on Saturday, Apr. 10.

The event is a twist on the infamous “porch pirate” term where thieves steal delivered items from your doorstep but applying a positive spin.

Beginning at 9:00 a.m., residents are encouraged to leave their donated items in a bag outside their homes either on their porch, driveway or steps in a visible manner for volunteers to pick up.

Any donating businesses will be collected on Friday and can e-mail Susan Dunkley at susan@suzihomemaker.ca to participate. Pickups will run from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The business goal is to collect 20,000 pounds of food said Dunkley in the press release.

Kawartha Food Share warehouse volunteers have been reduced from 50 to 10 to comply with the COVID-19 pandemic. All food is sorted and inspected before being redistributed to the public. Photo courtesy of Megan Murphy.

This is the third food drive campaign run since the COVID-19 pandemic last March. The Spare-A-Square food-raiser drives — in reference to last year’s toilet paper shortage — collected 41,267 pounds of food and over $5,000 in monetary donations according to a press release.

“The need for food has increased by 20 per cent since the pandemic,” says Megan Murphy, event organizer. “I am so excited and so grateful for all of our volunteers and our drives and every community member who was able to leave stuff outside. It’s been a horrible year but this is a way to stay safe and connected.”

Despite no official goal for the community food drive, Murphy would like to see roughly 9,000 pounds in food donations to a grand total of 50,000 pounds from prior collections.

Money can be donated with the goods or online at Kawartha Food Share’s website. Photo Courtesy of Megan Murphy.

On average, 8,700 people are using food banks every month in the City and County of Peterborough with 35 per cent of local food bank users under the age of 18.

If you would like to make an online monetary contribution, you can go online to Kawartha Food Share’s donation page.

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Winter Coat Collection For United Way Peterborough's Coats For Kids Program Starting May 8th

United Way of Peterborough & District’s Coats for Kids and Grown-Ups Too program strives to ensure that children and their families will be warm during the winter by providing clean, gently-used winter wear to children, youth, and adults in Peterborough City and County.

This program provides much needed relief to local families as one in six children in Peterborough lives in poverty. Families continue to deal with sharply rising costs of living and simply don’t have the means to purchase clothing to stay warm during the harsh winter months.

United Way Peterborough file photo

Coats for Kids is possible due to the generous support of Peterborough residents, community organizations, and program partners.

Since 1986, individuals and families have donated gently worn winter wear which is then cleaned at no cost to the program by local dry cleaning providers. Grainger Cleaners, Kent Cleaners, Lakefield Cleaners, and Windsor’s Dry Cleaning Centre have been active and committed program partners since the program began 29 years ago.

United Way Peterborough file photo

This year, winter coat collection will take place Monday, May 8th to Saturday, May 13th at the following locations:

-> Kent Cleaners – 183 Lansdowne St E
-> Grainger Cleaners – 885 Lansdowne Street W
-> LakefieldCleaners – Moody Plaza, Lakefield
-> Windsor’s Cleaners – Parkhill Plaza, Monaghan Rd
-> Windsor’s Cleaners – Kawartha Hts Plaza,1600 Lansdowne St
-> Windsor’s Cleaners – Riverview Plaza, Water St & Marina Blvd

United Way Peterborough file photo

Other community partners such as Global Point Logistics and McWilliams Moving & Storage have ensured that cleaned coats can be stored.

United Way Peterborough & District invests in a network of essential services to help children and families in need, seniors, and individuals struggling with life’s challenges. The Coats for Kids program is just one of many ways UW helps those in need in the community.

To learn more about the United Way, follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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Help A Peterborough Woman's Little Brother With His Spinal Surgery Fund

Sean is an 11-year-old who was born with a severe chromosome disorder, as well as autism...

Sean

Sean has gone through countless surgeries and procedures each year of his life to help his health. He is currently recovering at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto from his latest and most serious surgical procedure—unteathering his spinal cords.

Despite his serious condition, Sean remains positive—full of strength and hope.

His older sister Jordan Slavik—who lives in Peterborough and is married to friend of PTBOCanada Brandon Slavik—is trying to get the word out about a GoFundMe campaign that has been started to help with the expensive cost of Sean's home care in Newmarket that will be needed for months after he gets home from the hospital.

My wife's lil bro had spinal surgery yesterday & we're looking for help going on-http://t.co/VBtRkwVwDR Your help is beyond appreciated!

— Brandon Slavik (@slavikPTBO) May 16, 2015

The money raised will go towards assisting with hospital bills, medication costs, and nurses that will be required nearly around the clock when Sean returns home.

Spread the word on your social media channels, and give what you can here. The campaign is attempting to raise $5,000, and almost $1,000 has been raised so far.

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