Column: Peeling 100 pounds of apples a good time before fall bazaar
Friends and Neighbours by Leah Blain…Salmon Arm Observer
The sound of talk and laughter filled the hall and kitchen at St. Joseph’s Catholic church. Members of the Catholic Women’s League (CWL) gathered to make pies for their fall bazaar.“I don’t know any other event where everyone works together this much,” said Linda Painchaud. “It’s a celebration, a good time.”“It’s a lot of work,” said Linda Faust. “A lot of ladies step up to help. It’s our biggest fundraiser of the year.”Many of the funds go back into to community, including scholarships, the food bank and the local women’s shelter.
Rumour has it that parishioner Ernie Schan never sits still! Here he is pictured working at the monthly GOOD FOOD BOX preparations.The Good Food Box is a volunteer non-profit, produce buying cooperative for those people who are finding it difficult to stretch their food dollars to include fresh fruits and vegetables. Anyone can purchase a Good Food Box.Pay $12.00 by the second Thursday of the month and pick up your box the following Thursday. (Always the third Thursday of the month for pick-up. Your box will be available at the basement of the Catholic church, St. Joseph’s Church, 60 1st St, SE, Salmon Arm. Payment is made when you order your Good Food Box.
The value of the box is close to double the value at a regular supermarket, depending on the store and the time of year. Every box contains the same items. If you don’t like an item you can exchange it. We also include a newsletter, which gives you preparation and food storage tips, recipes for more unusual items, and nutritional information.
The low cost of the Good Food Box is made possible because of group buying. By pooling their money, Good Food Box participants can buy food wholesale and get better prices. Volunteer labour for sorting and packing also keeps the prices down. The selection of produce in the box changes according to the season, but basic items such as potatoes, carrots, and onions are always included. Items are chosen according to what is good quality, in season, and affordable at the time. The Good Food Box buys direct from farmers when possible. It works in cooperation – not competition – with local food producers and retailers. When you order your box in advance, we can minimize waste by buying the right amount of food.
Salmon Arm teen takes enthusiastic action on climate change
Mirella Project inspires others to create a town, then world, with a sustainable future. Despite the enormity of the task she has chosen, Mirella Ramsay is peppy, upbeat and optimistic.Her enthusiasm is contagious, her outlining of plans punctuated with smiles and laughter.Ramsay, 18, is taking on climate change.But her enthusiasm is not born of naiveté.“Rather than, ‘Hey everybody we’re doomed, good luck,’ why not, ‘Hey everybody we can do something to fix the problem,’” she says.Her plans were sparked during her first semester of university studies. Before class each day, her geography teacher would provide tidbits of information on what was going on in the world environmentally.Sixty per cent of wildlife numbers decreasing. Carbon dioxide levels rising.As she was driving home one night listening to a podcast about environmentalists doing all kinds of good work but not able to make massive change, she made a decision.Mirella decided to become an environmentalist scientist. But the idea of running her own business soon eclipsed it, one that would incorporate her desire “to be part of the solution, not adding to the problem.” By Martha Wickett Salmon Arm Observer
Judith and Adrian Pelletier have been married for about two and a half years , have 1 son ( Isaac) and are expecting their second child on May sixth. They have been members of Saint Joseph’s parish for as long as they have been married. Last spring they were able to buy a house in Salmon Arm and so were able to settle down and grow some roots in the community. It was during the summer that they found out the parish was desperately in need of teachers for the confirmation class. Judith, having 5 years experience in Halifax as a youth minister and confirmation teacher, was an ideal candidate for the task. And Adrian joined her! Shortly after accepting that role, they were asked if they could take on the youth group as well. Fast forward and here they are now teaching the confirmation class Monday nights, youth group Tuesday nights, and each separately attending men’s and women’s groups within the parish throughout the week.We thank them for their commitment and are certainly glad that they chose to be such a wonderful part of our Parish! Thank you……………..
Knights of Columbus members Edwin Krieg & Eugene Casavant present a check to the 1st Salmon Arm Scouts. Disbursements to all charities was in excess of $17,000. This is money raised through our Charity Appeal ticket sales and also the BC Lottery Grants.
Thank you , St. Josephs “flower ladies” for doing such a wonderful job !
- There are six volunteers in this group: Sandie Cockram, Teresa Connor, Bernadette Jordan, Evelyn Ramstad, Jessica Hauser, Susan MacMillan.
- They are responsible for creating floral arrangements for the tabernacle and the two side altars each week, with added arrangements for Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving, as well as the Easter Candle and Advent Wreathe.
- They work in groups of two except for the big feasts when everyone who is available helps.
- The church covers all the costs.
- In the late spring, summer and early fall, they use flowers from their own and friends’ gardens. At the other times, they would purchase flowers. However, in recent years they have build up an inventory of artificial flowers and greenery and now, for the most part, only purchase flowers for the big feasts.
But Salmon Arm has a long-standing tradition that many use as their official marker of the fall season – the Catholic Women’s League (CWL) bazaar and tea.
The bazaar has been a popular event for more than 40 years and, over time, acquired the status of the harbinger of fall.
“It’s a social outing for ladies from the different churches,” says Jeri Meyers. “It’s quite truthfully the start of the new fall season. Summer is over, and you get together with your friends for tea and get into the fall routine.”
Linda Faust and Linda Painchaud mention other groups from neigbouring communities that have been coming to the bazaar for years, including the Armstrong Women’s Institute members.
It’s a lot of planning and preparation for the CWL but, as they all agree, it’s not really work when they get together to do something.
Paying it forward ..with LOVE.. In memory of their cherished son, Tomas, the Idzans created a bursary after his sudden death in November of 2004. The bursary is designed to aid young adults that have entered the workplace after post secondary upgrades. This time of transition is difficult at best and the financial burden is immense. This is a wonderful way for Boris and Debbie to help people in need , just as Tomas always did!
Alex Leible …….Alex has been a St. Joseph parishioner for 30 years and a Knight for 20 years. He and his wife Anne, (who passed away in 2006) moved here from Revelstoke. He worked at Overwaitea(Save-on) for 20 years and retired in 2010. Alex is a heart transplant recipient ( 1997) and still gets his yearly checkups in Vancouver at St. Pauls hospital. . You may know Alex as our main Head Usher at Sunday mass. He takes this ministry seriously and usually does this 3 times a month . Alex still visits his 95 year old mother in Calgary each year, as weather and road conditions permit. Thank you, Alex, for all the time you put in! …………………..printed with permission..