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3 | The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,June 4,2020 theifp.ca Spring is back, and so is our 15th Annual Super Spring Special FINA L 2 WE EKS ! - Oil & Filter (Includes up to 6 litres regular oil.) - Complete top to bottom check over - Installation of summer tires (already on rims) included. - $5.00 Tim's Card - Windshield Washer Fluid eXTraS $8995* Call for an Appointment *Most Vehicles. Prices are +HST. 45 Mountainview Rd. N., Georgetown 905.877.7958 hassellsauto@bellnet.ca • hassellautomotive.comSALES & SERVICE $6995*69 Only Gold 2018 Halton Hills Silver 2018 Halton Hills Synthetic oil (up to 6 litres) We're Still Open! Due to COVID-19 we are taking every precaution by implementing extra sanitizing measures and limiting contact. Grieving families are no doubt feeling more isolated than ever before. "Right now, the reality is that many families aren't capable of accessing grief support," said Deirdre Thomas, executive direc- tor of the Oakville-based Lighthouse for Grieving Children, which supports grieving children, youth and their families across Halton. "Two-thirds of our Lighthouse families are sole parents homeschool- ing young children and working, so (they) find it challenging to find the time or energy to attend a virtu- al grief support group. Many are in survival mode, as they are trying to cope alone with little or no sup- port." Lighthouse is anticipat- ing "a surge" in the need for grief support post-pandem- ic, said Thomas. As Lighthouse receives no government funding, it relies almost exclusively on fundraising - specifical- ly, the annual Run4Light- house, which usually rais- es $160,000, a fifth of the rev- enue needed to keep servic- es free for grieving families, said Thomas. Due to COVID-19, this year's Run4Lighthouse is being held virtually be- tween now and June 10. The 5KAnyWay virtual run invites the community to run, walk, bike or swim to complete their 5K. To register, go to www.run4lh.com. Pre-COVID-19, the Mil- ton Salvation Army food bank might have support- ed between 18 and 22 house- holds a day, but that took a dramatic turn in April when the number jumped to 35. Captain Ruth Hickman said the number has dropped to about 25 house- holds a day in May, and is holding steady there. With no end to the pan- demic in sight, Hickman anticipates that the num- bers will rise again and continue "well into 2021." Because of physical dis- tancing requirements, their staff is small and therefore only limited do- nations of non-perishable food items can be accom- modated, but monetary do- nations are gratefully wel- comed, she said. To make a donation, visit www.salvationar- my.ca/donate. Canadian Blood Services (CBS) on Brant Street in Burling- ton is the only permanent blood donor site in Halton and needs in excess of 200 blood donations every week to help meet hospital needs. Milton, Halton Hills and Oakville rely on mobile clinics, however. With the usual blood donor clinic sites such as schools and rec centres closed, CBS has been urging people to do- nate at the Burlington site. The charitable organi- zation has also had to im- plement health and safety measures by placing donor beds a minimum of six feet apart and limiting the number of people in the centre at a time. The Georgetown Bread Basket has experienced a 317 per cent increase in new clients between Janu- ary and April of this year over the same time period in 2019, according to GBB chair Donna Baker. That translates to 71 new house- holds, and includes a 27 per cent increase in the num- ber of children and a 35 per cent increase in food going out the door. "My projection is that a lot of these people who are coming to our food bank that would never come be- fore, or wouldn't even think about it, they are fall- ing behind. They don't have enough money; some of them have probably al- ready tapped into their sav- ings." The food bank is run- ning out of some popular items but recommends people make monetary do- nations at this time as op- posed to drop-offs of non- perishables because of se- verely limited warehouse space and fewer volunteers to sort. During the pandemic, GBB is also trying to im- prove food literacy among its clients with recipe ideas posted to its website (georgetownbreadbas- ket.ca), particularly for do- nated items like quinoa, lentils and beans, which are "not generally" fa- voured, but available. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Just as their cli- ents struggle to stay afloat during the financial pres- sures brought on by the pandemic, so too do the charities that support them. NEWS CHARITIES ADAPT TO CONTINUE SERVING THOSE IN NEED KATHY YANCHUS kyanchus@metroland.com "Many are in survival mode, as they are trying to cope alone with little or no support." - Deirdre Thomas, Executive Director of Lighthouse for Grieving Children