Harmony Church celebration service in South Dundas

 

Just as some wells are beginning to dry up with the heat of summer, so are the stores of available items at the local food bank.

Statistics from January to June of 2012 show that visits to the Dundas County Food Bank are up by 10 percent over last year.

According to food bank administrator Donna Quesnel, there were ‘just over’ 900 visits in that time compared to 839 in the same time frame for 2011. Forty-five percent of recipients are children.

In addition, there have been 40 new families visiting the food bank this year.

The Dundas County Food Bank, with locations in Morrisburg and Winchester, is currently in need of the following items:

• Juices

• Cereals

• Canned meats and fish

• Canned fruits and vegetables

• Soups

• Dry pasta

• Canned pasta and pasta sauce

• Children’s snacks – raisins, real fruit gummies, Rice Krispies, cheese and crackers

• Personal toiletries

• School supplies

There are a variety of locations for depositing donations, including the food banks themselves. 

Donations are accepted at several churches in both North and South Dundas as well as at Riley’s ValuMart in Morrisburg and Mike Dean’s in Winchester.

The two locations of the Dundas County Food Bank are: 17 Second Street in Morrisburg and 497 May Street in Winchester.

The food banks are open Mondays from 10 a.m. until noon, Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. and Thursdays from 1 to 3 p.m.

In addition to regular donations, there is an upcoming fundraiser for the Dundas County Food Bank for those interested in walking or running for charity. 

This year’s Winchester Dairyfest will include a run/walk for charity called the Dairy Dash, proceeds from which will go to the Dundas County Food Bank.

The Dairy Dash will take place on August 11 at the Winchester Arena. 

It provides participants with the option of a five or 10 kilometer run or walk beginning at 8:30 a.m. or a Holstein Scamper, which is a two kilometer run or walk, beginning at 9:30 a.m.

[…]

“I’ve been in politics a long time and I’ve never had so many thank yous,” said  South Stormont Mayor Bryan McGillis.

Earlier this year, McGillis and the township of South Stormont chose to withhold funds from the Cornwall Community Hospital (CCH). South Stormont was opposed to CCH’s new designation under the  French Services Language Act (FSLA). 

South Stormont had committed to donating $300,000 to the CCH, making $30,000 installments yearly between 2006 and 2015. Council decided to withhold this year’s donation.

On March 9th, McGillis reported that some people are “so surprised as to why we’re doing this. We have created awareness  by withholding funds.”

McGillis said this is an issue involving human rights and equality. This is not, he pointed out, a language issue. It is an equal opportunity issue. “There are people who have been there for years who have been passed over for years. A lot of doctors are saying there’s a problem.”

McGillis said the outpouring of support at the March 3rd protest rally in front of the CCH proves that there “certainly is an issue there.”

“90 per cent of the calls and emails I’ve received have been positive. I know what I’m doing is the right thing. People elected me to work for the people.”

“I’ve shed some light on this issue,” he said, and “the support is overwhelming.”

“I’m hoping that everything works out and it’s a lot more fair for everyone. Let’s all work together.”

On February 16th, South Dundas Mayor Steven Byvelds commented on the situation: “South Stormont acted on what they  thought were concerns to them.  South Dundas has no commitments to the Cornwall Hospital.”

[…]

 

Are you a student interested in starting your own business? If you’re between the ages of 15 and 29, you might just qualify for a little help in making that dream into a reality. 

According to a recent release from the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre (CBEC), they are now accepting applications for Summer Company 2012.

“Summer Company is a program sponsored by the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation (MEDI) and administered by CBEC, which assists students in starting and running their own business through the summer months.”

“Participants receive hands on business training and are matched with mentors who help guide them through the business stages.”

Furthermore, “each Summer Company participant can receive up to $3,000 to start their own business.”

According to Candy Pollard, a business consultant with CBEC, “we have had a couple of students from South Dundas as part of Summer Company in the past.” 

“We usually see about 30 to 35 initial applications. We then contact each student to provide information on continuing the application process,” she informed.

“It really is an excellent opportunity for our youth to learn about business and to make some money at the same time,” she said.

For more information, visit www.summercompany.ca.

[…]