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Food banks supply more than food By Oksana Buhel Although the federal government is insisting the recession is over, + many people are still experiencing financially difficult times. Similarly, many of these same indi- viduals are being forced to turn to food banks as a final, but neces- sary, resort. Neither of the two food banks in Halton Food banks counselors come in every Tuesday to provide family counseling. Both food banks work closely with other social service organiza- tions, including the Salvation Army, Acton Social Services and Information Centre and alcohol and drug ‘abuse programs. This enables them to make referrals if necessary. The food banks also provide goods Hills - The Acton for their clients. Foodshare in Acton a necessary Acton Foodshare and the Love in pesgort for _ sives cut food, cloth- Christ Foodbank in ing, furniture and Georgetown- is orga some household goods on a nizing any special drive for the pathy season. They are busy enough providing their customary standard of service and goods. Both have been in operation for two years. Love in Christ Foodbank offers more than just food to their clients. Many forms of counseling is also available to clients. cial planning, family counseling or alcohol and drug abuse counseling. “The reason we provide counseling is so that people can learn to over- come their own problems, and not have to rely on the food bank,” says volunteer Laura Ellison. Joan Waldie, in charge of Acton Foodshare, explains that her volun- teers do not provide any financial or family training. Instead, two regular basis. Love in Christ Foodbank concentrates on food, but occasionally has “com- munity clothing days,” during which people can stop by and select available prope! The next “community clothing day” takes place March 27, between 12-3 p.m. Food banks plot. Love in Christ organizes an undertaking called “Project Love,” when volunteers board buses and go to Toronto to work with street people. The food bank also has a “Toy Day,” when children of clients come in to receive their has been organized, Waldie men- tions that many Acton organiza- tions and residents have been very helpful. They have been donating either their goods or their time. “It’s very heartening,” she insists. Ellison claims that Georgetown residents are similarly helpful. “But the Lord has still been one of our biggest providers,” she adds. “He’s been very good to us.” Although the food bank operates from a Baptist church, Ellison insists everyone is welcome. Both food banks are in desperate need conn waren, OKC LON oct sabes food tae uke on special cereal and rice. Baby eee H food and formula are The Dont organi- projects also scarce. zation is setting up community vegetable gardens, with the help of the deacons of the Christian Reform Church and the Acton Horticulture Society. These gardens will be open to the public, and anyone will be able to apply a ds can be dropped off at Acton Foodshare, Acton IGA, Foodlands, the post office and at Acton Social Services and Information Centre. In Georgetown, goods can be dropped off at the Mountainview Baptist Halton Hills This Week, Saturday, March 27, 1993 — Page.21 " a ns - Baby food and formula are desperately needed at both Halton Hills food banks, Acton Foodshare and Georgetown’s Love in Christ ‘oodbank. Laura Ellison, from Love in Christ Foodbank, shows how barren the shelves are. Church, the post office, most food stores, Pennywise and Home ware. The Acton Foodshare operates between the hours of 9 a.m.-2 ies on Tuesday, and 1:30-4 ate It is located at 100 Elgin St. South: Photo by Oksana Buhel Love in Christ is open on Wednesday, between the hours of 9 a.m.-2 p.m., and 6-7 p.m., and located at 100 Mountainview St. South. For further information, call 853- 0457 in Acton, and 873-6979 in Georgetown. International adoptions are chal Families who apply to adopt chil- dren from other countries do so out of love and a real concern for chil- dren. However, Marg McCallum of Halton Children’s Aid Society says they are sometimes not prepared for the tough realities of parenting a child from another culture - espe- cially an older child who may have endured neglect and abuse and who may never have experienced family life. The number of international adoptions has soared in recent years, and many parents are discov- ering that caring for these children is more difficult than they had expected. In response, Halton CAS is now offering a support group for parents of adopted children from other countries. “We’ve already been running support groups for people who have adopted children through our agency,” McCallum explains, “so we know they can be very effec- be They can help Prevent adop- ion breakdowns, and they give par- a a chance to share their experi- ences, to find out about sources of help, to learn more about coping with the challenges they might be facing with their children.” The group will meet once a week for eight to twelve weeks and then continue to meet once a month as long as the members choose. Based on the families she has already spo- ken to, McCallum expects to have parents with children from many different countries, including Russia, Romania, Yugoslavia, Peru, India, Somalia, etc. Meetings will be held either at the Oakville CAS office or in Milton, depending on the group. Children's Aid Why is raising a child from another country often challenging? McCallum points out that many of these children have been raised in orphanages and have no experi- ence of family life. She describes a “composite” example, based on a number of international adoptions. K. was born in a developing country. His mother received no prenatal care and never had enough to eat, so his birthweight was less than five pounds. Despite the adverse conditions, she tried to care for him at first but finally aban- doned him to the streets when he was two, where he lived with other street children and tried to survive as best he could. But Baby K. was one of the fortunate“ones - he was rescued from the streets and placed in an orphanage. The orphanage, however, was less than ideal. The Georgetown Branch 120 Royal Canadian Legion was the setting March 14 of the zone finals for Air Cadets effective speaking program. Flight Sgt. Kristin Murphy of the Georgetown Royal Canadian Air Cadets 756 Squadron, was the lone local competitor to advance to the provincial finals scheduled for April 17 in Toronto. Pictured above, left to right; Sgt. Gardiner, 167 Sqdn., Sgt. Gullen, “ Sqdn., F. Sgt. Murphy, 756 Sqdn. and WO2 Homewood, 724 Sqdn. submitted. lenging for families overworked caretakers could only provide for his basic needs and had no time to provide nurturing, affec- tion or stimulation. As a result, he suffered significant deprivation. K. has never become attached to another person or to love ‘an adult. He has now been adopted and brought to Canada to join a family - something he has never experi- enced before. The language is dif- ferent, the food is different, and the expectations his new parents have are hard for him to understand. Another common situation is for a child to be raised from birth in an orphanage. In some of these, life is very regimented and the children are physically abused. This can be the most emotionally damaging sit- uation of all. The stress on the adoptive family is enormous, too. Joe and Mary had been through a harrowing experi- ence just to arrange for K.’s adop- tion - living for weeks in a foreign country while they visited the orphanage and made all the arrangements. It’s been expensive, but they thought it would all be worth it once they got their new son home. Instead, they found them- selves in a state of crisis almost immediately. Who could they turn to for help? None of their friends and relatives had any experience of caring for a child like K. Finally, Joe and Mary called the CAS and were put in touch with Marg McCallum. She helped them find a therapist who was sensitive to the adoption issues they were struggling with, and they intend to join the support group when it starts. The support group for parents who have adopted internationally will begin at the end of March or early April. If you are interested or would like more information, please call Marg McCallum at 844- 8211 Separate schools upgrading By Oksana Buhel The Halton a Catholic School Board is hoping to raise $38.7 million to update the facilities of older separate schools to o standards of the newer ones. facilities would include jae: and the computer pro- In Halton Hills, the schools which may benefit from these tended c and sisi elementary schools in George! town, and St. Joseph’s elementary school in Giacomo Corbacio, plant and building controller for the board, explained his department has pre- ed a preliminary report, which was sent to the school board on 9. He insists these recommenda- tions are in the very earliest stages. ee 're just getting mete ball rolling,” mits. one next stage will be to send copies of the concept drawings to the individual school principals re Holy Cross who, in turn, will consult with the staff, parents and any other con- cemed individuals. This group will review the drawings and add any recommendations. This stage is eerie to be completed in late ae asked where the ee from energy-saving devices which are to be installed in the modern- ized schools. The purpose of the departmental is to provide school trustees witH an overall picture and develop to prioritize what changes are need- ed and where the money will come from. Corbacio admits the changes will take some time. “We are proceed- ing i 2 a step-by-step, logical