www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, August 12, 2010 · 2 Energy Conservati n It'sa Family Affair! Be proactive as a family! Take advantage of dynamic programs offered through Oakville Hydro and the Ontario Power Authority which translate into real savings for you and help the environment! Roundup Those Old Fridges and Freezers! Call 1.877.797.9473 to schedule a free pickup of fridges and freezers at least 15 years old! It will be recycled in an environmentally friendly way, see how at www.everykilowattcounts.com. 606 fridges and freezers from homes in Oakville have been decommissioned in 2010 alone! Fridges 15 years old and older built using technology that is currently outdated consume large amounts of electricity to operate. Newer efficient Energy Star rated fridges and freezers can save up to $150 annually on hydro use. Visit www.oakvillehydro.com for more info. *Fridges and freezers must be at least 15 years old, in working condition and between 10-27cu ft. Funded by the Ontario Power Authority and offered by Oakville Hydro. NIKKI WESLEY / OAKVILLE BEAVER Enrol in the peaksaver program and have a programmable thermostat installed for free and receive $25.00 just for participating!* Setting a schedule for air conditioning use helps reduce the strain on Ontario's electricity system. You can make setting changes to your thermostat remotely from the web! Find out how at www.oakvillehydro.com. Join the more than 2500 Oakville residents who have installed peaksaver® programmable thermostats! Call 1.866.514.6778 to schedule an installation. ® FILLING UP: Kerr Street Ministries (KSM) food bank is currently experiencing a shortage in food donations. After shelves came close to being empty, donations are now starting to restock the food bank, however there is still a long way to go. *Must have central air conditioning in good working order. Complete program details available at www.oakvillehydro.com. Funded by the Ontario Power Authority and offered by Oakville Hydro. KSM still short food By Nathan Howes OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Even Kids Have the Power! www.everykilowattcounts.ca has tips galore on how families can use energy wisely! Read how to eliminate phantom power in your home! Get plugged in and learn the facts about electricity! Visit www.oakvillehydro.com and download the 'Frigerator Fun! activity page. Match the tips and post on your fridge as a helpful reminder! Paperless Bills! Saving electricity extends beyond our homes! Access your hydro billing information online and you will · have an impact on the environment · receive one less piece of mail · receive notification when your bill is ready · be able to view current and previous bills Go to www.oakvillehydro.com, click on eCare to sign up! ebilling HELPING YOU SAVE ENERGY The food situation at Kerr Street Ministries last weekend was so dire shelves were almost empty. But after word of the shortage appeared in the Oakville Beaver last Friday, things have improved a bit for KSM. Almost $13,000 of donations has come in over the last week, according to executive director Benjamin Ward. "We've had a great initial response over the past week and the weekend. We've had $8,000 of cash donations and we've received about $5,000 in kind donations of food, which has been a great help to us for this week and conceivably next week as well," said Ward. With the recent donations, KSM was able to replace some of the priority items they had ran out of, such as cereals, canned fruits and vegetables. Stocks of stews, tinned meats, tuna, salmon, sardines and pasta sauce have also been replenished. "We've been able to purchase pasta sauce. So a lot of pasta sauce has been coming "We still need to be working towards increasing the amount of donation for the food bank, so we're able to go on for the remainder of August." Benjamin Ward, executive director, Kerr Street Ministries in, which is great and a lot of canned fruits and vegetables as well, which is excellent," said Ward. "We try to offer our clients and the recipients of our food the high quality and high nutrition items that just aren't filler." But it still has a long way to go to completely restore supplies, according to Ward. It still needs another $80,000. "We potentially need another 40,000 lbs of food. Between donated food and cash terms, we still need another $80,000. "We still need to be working towards for increasing the amount of donations for the food bank so we're able to go on for the remainder of August until our regular food drives come back into effect at schools and the majority of the population returns to Oakville from summer vacation," said Ward. Once the school year begins for elementary and high school students so too will the food drive initiatives. Churches will also reconvene as well, says Ward. KSM will also hold a turkey run in October. "We have our 5KSM Turkey Run on Oct. 11. With each race registration, a company donates a turkey to a family. The whole purpose and focus of that race is to raise awareness See KSM page 9