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407 Speers Road Suite 213 905-825-1172Save $50 WEEKEND: OCT. 1 OCT. 22 EVENING: OCT.4 NEW PROGRAMS STARTING Excelle nt service since 1993 DRIVING IS A PRIVILEGE, LET US HELP YOU EARN TI Valid for defensive driving programs only 4 DAY CONDENSED: OCT. 7-10 LUXURY. FASHION. SERVICE. 200 Lakeshore Road East, Oakville 905.842.0232 www.burrowsclothiers.com Now in Oakville Est. 1983 TORONTO 1020 Lawrence Ave. West (west of Dufferin) Tel: 416.256.2553 MISSISSAUGA/OAKVILLE 3050 Vega Blvd. (Dundas and 403) Tel: 905.820.4841 www.cameokitchens.com DISCOVERCAMEOBEAUTY. INSIDEANDOUT. A N D F I N E C A B I N E T R Y 3 Friday, Septem ber 30, 2011 O A K V ILLE B EA V ER w w w .in sid eH A LTO N .co m All donations, food and cash, are welcomed more so we can maintain the high level of quantities we are giving everyone, he added. On average, the amount of food given out would be the equivalent of roughly one weeks worth of food, Clark said. Families or individuals are allowed one visit per month. In 2011, Fareshare saw an average of 353 families 629 adults and 450 children and served close to 1,100 people per month, slightly down from last year. Forty-two per cent of its cli- ents are children. In 2010, it supplied 4,287 food hampers. Quite honestly, I dont see those numbers decreasing very much for two reasons. One, the economic conditions were expe- riencing right now are not going to go away overnight; it will take several years to get back and every day it seems to get worse, said Clark. Plus, this is a growing town where people keep coming to live in Oakville. As a percentage of the Oakville population, we probably have fewer needy families than most other communities, but those people who are in that position, their need is just as great as it is in the poorest community and that is the difference, he added. Fareshare is also planning an increase of 12 per cent in the purchase of perishable nutritional foods, and will spend $25,500 to provide mothers with vouchers redeemable at local grocery stores to obtain items such as milk and eggs for their children. On every order that comes through, a single person gets a bag of four pieces of fresh fruit, while a family of six will get 24 pieces of fruit. Its not just one type, as they mix it up so each person or family gets a variety, Clark said. Prior to 2009, Fareshare had provided families with turkeys on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, but now offers them a super- market card instead, Clark said. We started out by providing the actual turkeys, but turkeys are heavy (and) big, lots of freezer capacity. I found that not every- body wants turkey, said Clark. Since volunteers run Fareshare, it is able to spend more of its monetary donations on food, rather than on overhead expenses like salaries, wages, rent and insurance, Clark said. For every dol- lar it receives, the food bank spends 26 cents on fixed expenses, while 74 cents goes towards food purchases. Thats something that not every charity can state. For most of them it is reversed, but were fortunate. This year, Im learning my budgeting is calling for us to finish the year that we will be able to spend closer to 78 per cent of our dollars on food, said Clark. If we had to pay salaries or wages, we would have less money to spend and thats why its so important we continue to be run by volunteers only. Unlike other local food banks, which serve clients in crisis or those participating in adjunct programming, Fareshare is avail- able to anyone in Oakville who shows financial need. While all non-perishable donations are welcome, Fareshare particularly welcomes canned salmon, canned vegetables, canned fruit, instant coffee, regular and herbal tea, canned potatoes, canned chunky stew, pasta sauce, dry soup, side dishes of rice, pasta and potatoes, cake mixes and icing, soda crackers, hot and cold cereal, rice and laundry powder. Cash donations also help, as the food bank uses the money to buy items when it runs low and to purchase fresh foods like milk, meat and produce. Donations can be dropped off at the food bank at 1240 Speers Rd., Unit 6, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday to Saturday, at all Oakville fire stations and in all Oakville supermarkets where col- lection bins have been provided by Fareshare. For information or to donate, call 905-847-3988. Continued from page 1