5 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,O ctober 22,2020 insidehalton.com The Last Fall Harvest Tucked behind the Upper Oakville Shopping Centre on 5,000 square feet of land is the Blueberry Fields Community Garden. When Ken Stockstill was asked by the owners to build a garden there 4 years ago he agreed, but only if all the food was given to food banks. Ken has a team of volunteers who help him care for the garden and the public is welcome to walk along the paths. Kerr Street Mission clients' have benefited from the fresh produce for the last four summers. This year included bounties of potatoes, cabbage, carrots, beans and of course blueberries. Thank you Ken for being an incredible community member as well as Upper Oakville Shopping Centre and all the volunteers who help upkeep the garden. KSM. 485 Kerr Street, Oakville. 905-845-7485. Charitable Reg. No. 897106845RR0001 49% of Canadians give themselvesa grade of C or lower on howthey view their personalfinancial skills. 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If you request a copy of the Audiological Report, a fee will apply. Child hearing tests are conducted at select locations for a fee, please contact us formore information. Offer not valid in Quebec. [1] https://www.oticon.ca/hearing-aid-users/hearing-aids/products/opn-s Take the first step towards better hearing. Schedule an appointment with one of our hearing professionals and try the latest advanced or premium digital hearing aids‡ during a free 14-day trial. Our hearing professionals will perform a FREE hearing assessment and fit you with hearing aids suited to your loss. FREE trial offer ends November 30th 2020. WANTED 20 PEOPLE WANTEDFOR A FREE HEARINGAID TRIAL more than 1,400 students, said Cesak. Even after learning went virtual, schools continued to apply for funds on behalf of their students over the four remaining months. "From the time that the schools closed in March to the end of June, we saw an in- crease in 22 per cent over the same period the prior year. We also provided support to 175 students who had already received funds from HLF in that school year, which was certainly different than pri- or years," said Cesak. Although it's difficult to predict numbers for this school year, HLF anticipates even more students will come to their attention with the significant economic im- pact of COVID-19. Less than two weeks into the current school year, 75 students from across the re- gion have already received the foundation's support. "That is still lower than this time last year, however, we expect the demand will increase once the weather turns colder and kids need warm clothing to get to school," added Sherri Arm- strong, HLF communica- tions manager. Another reason for the lower-than-expected num- ber reflects the large cohort of students learning strictly virtually and the inherent challenge for teachers to eas- ily identify kids in need, said Armstrong. Thirty per cent of HDSB elementary students and 17.5 per cent of HDSB secondary students were learning vir- tually as of September. With no field trips or team sports in students' foresee- able future, requests have fo- cused mainly on food, cloth- ing, hygiene and transporta- tion needs, said Cesak. HLF funding comes from a variety of sources, such as individual and corporate do- nors and community group fundraisers, but COVID-19 has also impacted the much- needed revenue charities de- pend upon. One longtime HLF supporter is CN, which recently donated $100,000 to HLF, bringing its five-year total to $800,000. "It's a privilege for CN to partner with the Halton Learning Foundation to help children who need it," said Keith Reardon, senior vice- president of consumer prod- uct supply chain for CN. To make a donation, visit www.haltonlearningfounda- tion.ca. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: The number of Halton students requiring the support of the Halton Learning Foundation was increasing even before the pandemic's arrival. CO- VID-19's significant impact on the economy has only exacerbated that need. NEWS Continued from page 1 DEMAND EXPECTED TO RISE WITH COLDER WEATHER