May 29, 2012

Duncan M. Stokes

Good luck to the Winnipeg Goldeyes in tonight’s home opener.

If you plan on going to tonight’s game, or any other Goldeyes home game in 2012, don’t forget to bring a Tin for the Bin.

Go Fish!

  

Did you know that over the last year, volunteers at Winnipeg Harvest put in more than 347,000 hours of time?

That’s the equivalent of 147 full time jobs.  

The work of the volunteers at Winnipeg harvest will be celebrated with an appreciation day in June.

Thank you to all volunteers.

And thank you Hockey Great Bobby Hull!

The ‘Golden Jet’ was kind enough to autograph a bowl for Winnipeg Harvest for the 2012 Empty Bowl Celebrity Auction, set for October 9^th at the Delta Winnipeg.

So did his ‘Hotline’ line mate Ulf Nilsson.

Check out our Facebook page to see what other celebrities have helped out Winnipeg Harvest by autographing a bowl.

http://www.facebook.com/winnipegharvestemptybowls

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Winnipeg Harvest, its staff or volunteers.

May 28, 2012

Duncan Stokes

Congratulations to David Northcott, executive director at Winnipeg Harvest.

David’s vision and leadership in co-founding Winnipeg Harvest back in 1984 and dedicating so much of his life to fighting hunger and feeding hope inspires those who meet him to believe that we will one day live in a world that is free of hunger and poverty. 

On Friday, David received the Order of Canada. His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, presided over an Order of Canada investiture ceremony at Rideau Hall.

Congratulations once again to David Northcott on a well-deserved honour.

David Northcott in Ottawa, with his wife Kathy, shortly after receiving his Order of Canada from His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada

Football fans can come and get a look at all the wannabe Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday. Training Camp opens at Canad Inn Stadium this Sunday June 3^rd.

Fans attending the open practice are encouraged to bring a ‘Tin for the Bin’ as they come to see those who want to make the 2012 Bombers roster.

Start time is 9 AM on Sunday.

Good luck and ‘Let’s Go Blue’!

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Winnipeg Harvest, its staff or volunteers.

May 22, 2012

Duncan Stokes

While we were blessed with a wonderfully mild winter and at times, an unseasonably warm spring, the Victoria Day long weekend is when you really begin to see the outdoor activity shift into a higher gear. Cottages are opened for the season, anglers start dropping in their lines in lakes & rivers and gardening stores are packed with customers.

 

Whether you’re planting flowers or vegetables, to invest the time and effort to nurture something that can provide you with so much pleasure is something that should be celebrated. Gardening can be an enriching experience.

Did you know Winnipeg Harvest has a program which combines gardening with philanthropy? Did you know it’s been around for more than 25 years?   

It started back in 1986.

Ron (shown below) and Eunice O’Donovan produced more potatoes in their backyard garden than their family could consume.  So instead of disposing of the potatoes, they donated them to the Food Bank.  The response to their generosity was so positive they decided to encourage others in their own neighbourhood to also donate their surplus vegetables to Winnipeg Harvest.  Thus, the Grow-a-Row Campaign was born and has been growing ever since; yielding nearly three million pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Ron O'Donovan, co-founder of the Grow-a-Row program with his late wife Eunice.

T&T seeds have supported the program for the past 25 years with their donations of seed. 

So what are some of the things you can do help the ‘Grow-a-Row’ campaign?

At home and work: Grow an extra row (or two) of produce in your own backyard Invite your neighbours, family and associates to do the same and perhaps do a friendly “weigh-in” challenge Turn an empty neighbourhood lot into a Grow-A-Row garden At school: Turn Grow-A-Row into a science project and have students plant and tend to a row of vegetables for Winnipeg Harvest Come harvest season, bring students to Winnipeg Harvest to deliver their crop. They’ll get an on-site tour and a chance to sort food.

At the Community Club:

• Plant a Harvest Garden to be tended by club families
• Come Harvest season, organize a communal Harvest Day full of activities including a visit to Winnipeg Harvest

You can help by ‘harvesting an extra row or two of vegetables and donating them to Winnipeg Harvest, 1085 Winnipeg Avenue. For more information call Shelley at 982-3582 or visit our website at www.winnipegharvest.org  

All produce is welcome including; crab-apples, although root crops (beets and carrots ) are encouraged because they are best for storage.
            PLANT A SEED, NOURISH A COMMUNITY.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Winnipeg Harvest, its staff or volunteers.

May 7, 2012 - by Duncan M. Stokes

Duncan M.  Stokes

Hunger Awareness Week

Did you know that more than 55,000 Manitobans have relied on food banks over the past month? If all 55,000 of those people lived in the same city, it would be the second largest in Manitoba. That is more people than would fit into the new stadium being built in the south end of Winnipeg. And it’s more than 55,000 too many.  

Today marks the beginning of National Hunger Awareness Week. Hunger is something almost everyone can identify with at some point in their life. Fortunately for most of us, it’s usually a temporary thing lasting a few hours or a day or two at the most for those who have had to fast for medical reasons.

But can you imagine what it would be like to go to school hungry as a child? Or to go to about your adult life hungry for a day?

Sadly, for too many people in this country, it is something they live with each and every day.

If you want to know what it’s like to be hungry, challenge yourself this week…Know what it’s like to have food out of reach by challenging yourself to give up your lunches or a food staple for the week.

Winnipeg Harvest remains committed to reducing by half, the number of people reliant on food banks by the year 2020. We need your help to reach this goal. Understanding why it’s so important is a step toward that goal.

Please consider taking the challenge. And consider donating money, food or time to Winnipeg Harvest to help us reach the goal of a world without hunger.

Camino Food Fund

Thank you to Doug Speirs for a wonderful article in the Wednesday May 2^nd edition of the Winnipeg Free Press.

In case you missed the article, Healthy Living Minister Jim Rondeau and his partner Dennis Tam are embarking on a 760 km journey through the historic Camino de Santiago beginning August 9^th. (also known as the Way of St. James) He hopes to raise money to create a fund that will be used by Winnipeg Harvest to acquire healthy foods for diabetics. The Minister’s goal is to raise $25,000.

Speirs article on the Minister’s journey for the “Camino Food Fund” can be found at http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/columnists/760-km-to-better-health-149786855.html

Good luck Minister Rondeau. And thank you for this call to action.

Healthy Living Minister Jim Rondeau and partner Dennis Tam. Photo courtesy of the Winnipeg Free Press and Wayne Glowacki

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Winnipeg Harvest, its staff or volunteers.

Attention Facebookers! You wanna help out Winnipeg Harvest with the simple click of a “Like”?

Kudos to Mercedes Benz! They have chosen to support Winnipeg Harvest. For each “Like” on their Facebook page, Mercedes-Benz of Winnipeg will donate $1 to Winnipeg Harvest.

Share this link with your friends on Facebook and help Winnipeg Harvest fight hunger and feed hope, by liking this page.

Mercedes-Benz of Winnipeg says it will donate up to $2,000 to Winnipeg Harvest.

Hall, push, pull, dump or otherwise get your pennies to us.

Through tremendous volunteer support, Winnipeg Harvest will be able to “parlez” your pennies into dollars; $1 will turn into $20 of food and go towards reducing hunger in the province of Manitoba.

There is no need to count your pennies. We’ll do it for you.

How many kilograms of copper can your neighbourhood group, school, or church collect?

Pennies will be accepted at any time at Winnipeg Harvest, 1085 Winnipeg Avenue; or call ahead if the load is too big and we will make arrangements to pick up the loot.

Thank you! Your donation will make a huge difference.

For more information on how to donate your pennies call us at 982-3581 or visit our website at www.winnipegharvest.org

Meet Dennis and Lisa. They are just two of the hundreds of volunteers who help out at Winnipeg Harvest each month. Check out our website at www.winnipegharvest.org to see who helps us, and how you can help us, by donating your time.