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12 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday December 6, 2006 www.oakvillebeaver.com Living Oakville Beaver Phone: 905-845-3824 Fax: 905-337-5567 e-mail: editor@oakvillebeaver.com Warmth of the season By Angela Blackburn OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF BARRIE ERSKINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER FOR THE FOOD BANK: Esther Studnicki who has volunteered for nine years with Oakville's Fareshare Food Bank models a Roots scarf, which is for sale for $14.95 from FirstOntario Credit Union -- including the location on Kerr Street. An impressive $11 from each scarf sold locally is going back to Fareshare. While some say the gloves are coming off, the scarves are going on at the FirstOntario Credit Union and Oakville's Fareshare Food Bank. It's that time of year again, when buying a $14.95 Roots Canada scarf at the credit union now located on Kerr Street will send an impressive $11 to the local food bank. FirstOntario Credit Union's 17 locations ­ including the one on Kerr Street ­ are running their Out of the Cold program, in which net proceeds from the sale of the soft, authentic Roots scarves go to food banks in their communities. The motto for the Out of the Cold program is that "One scarf can warm a whole community." In Oakville, the program will benefit the Fareshare Food Bank that's located at 1240 Speers Rd., Unit 6. "The great part is that $11 comes back to the food bank," said Fareshare spokesperson Dudley Clarke. "That's excellent pay back," said Clarke. In 2004, when the program first started, the scarves available were navy blue. Last year, a tan scarf was introduced. The same navy blue and tan models will be available this "That's excellent pay back. Oakville is fortunate in that it is without question an affluent town and so it is home to fewer needy families than most communities." Dudley Clarke, Fareshare Food Bank year and could make a nice Christmas gift. In 2004, the program raised $475 locally. Last year, it took off and $2,300 was raised for Fareshare in Oakville alone. Clarke is hoping this year's sales will bear just as much, if not more, fruit for Fareshare as the need there is growing. So far in 2006, at least until the end of October, the food bank was averaging 307 family visits per month. For a reason Clarke is still attempting to track, the number climbed to 338 in November. To make matters worse, Clarke admitted that the second of Fareshare's annual food drives, which occur at Easter and Thanksgiving, was not as bountiful as in years past. Fareshare first opened its doors in 1988 and over the years the number of Oakville families walking through its doors for help putting food on the table have gone up and down as the economy has ebbed and flowed. Clarke said, "Oakville is fortunate in that it is without question an affluent town and so it is home to fewer needy families than most communities." However, there is still a percentage of the population that is needy -- and it is the families that make up that percentage that often turn to Fareshare. Families must provide proof they qualify to use Fareshare. The family's numbers determines what quantity of food can be accessed on a monthly basis. While families can visit Fareshare to shop only once a month -- sometimes twice if a dire need is present -- the food acquired there is usually enough to last about a week, explained Clarke. Families visiting Fareshare can pick up canned, packaged, non-perishable items that usually find their way to the food bank's inventory thanks to public donations of the same. Those donations are made through food drop boxes in participating local grocery stores, drop off donations at local fire halls, the food bank itself or drives organized by local service clubs, schools, churches and others -- in addition to the Easter and Thanksgiving food drives. Monetary donations received See Scarf page 15 WIN HENSTOCK GALLERY presents AN EXHIBITION OF ORIGINAL PAINTINGS BY PLEIN AIR CANADA Robert Amirault Christine Chown RoseMarie Condon Paul Gauthier Win Henstock Sam Paonessa John Stuart Pryce John Joy Martin Pryce December 8 - December 31, 2006 Artists reception Friday, December 8, 6 to 9 pm Preview begins Wednesday, December 6 334 Lakeshore Rd. East, Oakville, ON L6J 1J6 905-844-5711 Gallery hours Mon. to Sat. 11am - 6pm Sun. 12pm - 5pm winhenstockgallery@bellnet.ca www.winhenstockgallery.ca