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Country Station Steakhouse Presents |
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Written by MMG Administrator
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Thursday, 03 November 2011 20:00 |
As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Canadians with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods.
This year will be different. This year Canadians will give the gift of genuine concern for other Canadians. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by Canadian hands. Yes there is!
It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper?
Everyone -- yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local Canadian hair salon or barber?
Gym membership? It's appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.
Who wouldn't appreciate getting their car detailed? Small, Canadian owned detail shops and car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.
Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plonking down the bucks on a Chinese made flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or driveway plowed all winter, or games at the local golf course.
There are lots of owner-run restaurants -- all offering gift certificates. And, if your intended isn't the fancy eatery sort, what about
a half dozen breakfasts at the local breakfast joint. Remember, folks this isn't about big National chains -- this is about supporting your home town Canadians with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.
How many people couldn't use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the Canadian working guy?
Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mom? Mom would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.
My computer could use a tune-up, and I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up and running.
OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool and knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, and pottery and beautiful wooden boxes.
Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. And, how about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre.
Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.
You see, Christmas is no longer about draining Canadian pockets so that China can build another glittering city. Christmas is now about caring about US, encouraging Canadian small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. And, when we care about other Canadians, we care about our communities, and the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn't imagine.
THIS is the new Canadian Christmas tradition.
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Holiday food drive collects tonnes of donations |
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Robin Poon
News Reporter
(in photo) Brian Snee of Doctors Eye Care hauls the Nicola Valley and District Food Bank's bounty with food bank manager Karen Flick. Snee and Dr. Jill Slywka donated all of the proceeds from Doctors Eye Care's eye exams on Nov. 26 (the start of the Country Christmas weekend) to the food bank, $1,427.32 in all.
The Nicola Valley and District Food Bank received over 23,000 pounds (10 metric tonnes) of food donations from the community alone during the Together Is Amazing collection drive.
Shaw Cable launched the Together Is Amazing corporate social responsibility initiative last October. The food drive was the first campaign under its banner.
Shaw and Campbell Canada (maker of Campbell’s soup) both agreed to match donations to food banks across the country between Oct. 15 and Nov. 15. The goal was to collect one million pounds of food.
Shaw Cable committed to match up to 350,000 pounds and Campbell Canada promised to deliver up to 300,000 pounds, with regular donors making up the remaining 350,000 pounds. However, community support throughout Canada exceeded expectations several times over.
“It was blown out of the water. We got 2.6 million pounds, which is fantastic,” says Kerry MacDonald, Shaw’s regional manager for the Thompson-Fraser Valley area, including Merritt.
“There was 23,282.7 pounds raised in Merritt,” says MacDonald.
“The Together Is Amazing campaign filled them up.
“It just went beyond our wildest expectations.”
Karen Flick, manager of the Nicola Valley and District Food Bank, agrees. “Amazing. That’s exactly the right word for it.”
Flick says local businesses, organizations, and individuals were more driven to donate this year because of Shaw and Campbell’s commitment.
“A lot of groups came in on board during the food drive.
“They wanted to boost it up so that Shaw and Campbell could help us.”
According to Flick, food bank volunteers weighed every item that was brought in to track donations.
Because communities responded so well to the campaign, Shaw decided to donate $250,000 in cash on top of its food-matching commitment.
Collection statistics from the participating food banks will be used to determine how to break down the matching food and cash contributions, MacDonald explains.
“They looked at the amount of food that was raised by each region,” he says. In addition to Merritt, the Thompson-Fraser Valley region includes communities such as Kamloops, Lillooet, and Chilliwack.
Each region will receive a portion of the matching food and cash based on its proportion of the total raised in Canada. Similarly, each community within a region will receive a share of that region’s take based on the amount of food collected within the community.
Local Shaw employees delivered the first shipment of food and a $2,500 cheque to the Nicola Valley and District Food Bank Dec. 13.
MacDonald says the rest of Merritt’s share will be delivered throughout December and possibly into January.
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Light tour looking to fill seats |
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Seats for the Nicola Valley Transportation Society's annual Christmas Light Tour next week are still available but anyone taking the tour  should book now, says the society's manager.
The Nicola Valley Transportation Society, which offers bus service in the Merritt area, will give free rides touring local Christmas displays, starting tonight, from 6-7:30 p.m. The society plans to run tours every weeknight until Dec. 17, according to manager Jan Oswald.
Oswald says there is space for 20 people on each trip, although the Dec. 13 tour is already fully booked.
Tickets for the tour are available from the Merritt and District Chamber of Commerce office in exchange for a donation to the food bank. Reservations are required in advance.
(Merritt News File Photo)
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