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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 18 ,2 02 1 | 14 Hire a Co-op student for May! As Canada's first college to offer co-operative education, we know the value it offers students and employers. mohawkcollege.ca/co-op 1276 Cornwall Road, Unit C, Oakville Ontario, L6J 7W5 T: 905-845-0767 • F: 905-845-5552 •www.haxelllaw.com • lawyers@haxelllaw.com Personal Professional Service at Competitive Rates Buying? Selling? Re Call us for a quote at 905-845-0767 ext. 223Jameson Glas GOLDGOLD 905-845-0767 ext. 223Jameson Glas 1200 Speers Rd., Unit 12, Oakville, Ont. L6L 2X4 (905) 845 - 1408 | Fax (905) 845 - 5931 | ricky@rickywong.ca Ricky Wong CPA, CA, MBA, B. Eng Ricky Wong DIAMONDDIAMOND DIAMONDDIAMOND Voted Best Accountant by Oakville Beaver Readers for 11 Consecutive Years For more information please check our website www.rickywong.ca •Accounting •Auditing • Taxation In an innovative collabo- ration to help fend off feel- ings of pandemic isolation and loneliness among hun- dreds of older adults living in community housing, Sheridan College students have taken on some inter- esting challenges. The Putting Food on the Table Project is an initia- tive of Sheridan's Centre for Elder Research (CER), Food for Life and Commu- nity Development Halton (CDH). Students from the school's Honours Bachelor of Music Theatre Perfor- mance program arranged, and performed, digital cab- aret numbers to include with food package deliver- ies. "It was a bit of an uncon- ventional ask, but our mu- sic theatre faculty and stu- dents jumped at the chance to get involved," said Dr. Leigh Hayden, the project's principal investigator with the CER. "As challenging as this pandemic has been on everyone, I see people com- ing together to try to create the type of world they want to live in. It's beautiful." Along with providing entertainment to clients, the project recruited stu- dents from the Sheridan Honours Bachelor of Craft and Design-Textiles pro- gram to sew face masks, to include in the packages. A survey conducted last August by Hayden, with the support of Social Service Worker student Chloe Shackelton and Honours Bachelor of Interaction De- sign student Heather Maz- zonna, found that of the Food for Life clients who participated, 40 per cent felt their well-being was worse than before the pan- demic and the majority didn't feel comfortable leaving their homes during these times. "The project has opened my eyes to the issues that exist for so many Canadi- ans," said Mazzonna, who was involved in analyzing the research. "Knowing I can use my design skills to make a difference is invalu- able to me and I plan to con- tinue on this path after graduation. The project is funded by a $75,000 Applied Research Rapid Response to CO- VID-19 grant from the So- cial Sciences and Humani- ties Research Council's Col- lege and Community Inno- vation Program, which was awarded to Hayden last June. Along with the Sheridan students' input, Food for Life was also able to secure protein for its food packag- es through funding, and based on survey data, cards were created by local ele- mentary school students and blankets were made by community groups secured by CDH. "Those we serve have al- ways been at the centre of all the decisions we make at Food for Life," said Donna Slater, director of impact at Food for Life. "Working alongside Sheridan College has allowed us to have a richer understanding of how to better support our neighbours, gleaning im- portant feedback as we serve some of our most vul- nerable in the community." Sheridan students shared their skills, enthusi- asm and creativity through their demonstration and use of communication and design, research on nutri- tion and health, and as ac- tive members of the project, commented Heather Thompson, director of age- friendly initiatives at CDH. "The leadership from the faculty has been exem- plary and we look forward to our continued partner- ship," added Thompson. Clients will again be sur- veyed in late spring to de- termine the impact of the enhanced food packages and identify work that still needs to be done. "Social isolation and loneliness existed before, and will exist beyond, the pandemic," said Hayden. There's always a need to find strategies and tactics that meaningfully address the issue and ways to cre- atively collaborate with community partners," said Hayden. FOOD PACKAGES SERVED UP, WITH A SIDE OF HUMAN CONNECTION From left, Yifei Zhang, Kathryn Warren-North, Dr, Leigh Hayden, Tiffany Sookdeo and Chloe Shackleton are among those part of Sheridan College's Putting Food on the Table project. Graham Paine/Metroland NEWS SHERIDAN COLLEGE PROJECT NOURISHING CLIENTS ON TWO FRONTS