August 9, 2024 co Stratford Times Local Community Food Centre looks to rise to the challenge at recent AGM JULIA SCHNEIDER Times Correspondent “Most people aren’t excited to attend an AGM” unless they have an association with the organization involved, said Mar- garet Smart, executive director of The Lo- cal Community Food Centre, at the start BE its 2024 annual general meeting July emer that, anyone interested in food security, local health and a community agency involved in delivering these would likely find the meeting of interest. It came at the end of a hard year, she continued. Change, challenges and tran- sition were the recurrent themes as staff changes, financial challenges and facility shortcomings had to be faced and over- come. Some highlights of the meeting were: * a surplus of revenue over expenses at the end the year of $30,000 after a deficit of $150,000 at its beginning; * the Monday and Friday community meals attracting 170 people weekly to the capacious dining room, as compared to the 130 in the previous year; * over 10,800 meals provided through the Connection Centre with 30,000 serv- ings of warm soup or stew and 700 bags of fruit distributed to people in emergency shelters; * mber of volunteers increased substantially from 80 to 175; and + markets in Stratford, St. Marys and Milverton continued with added summer markets at Stratford’s city hall and Duf- ferin Park, the site of The Local’s large community garden. All of this happened at a time of great need for The Local’s services. Food in- security has risen by 26 per cent over the previous year, with visits to profit-driven grocery uae etree a stressful expe- rience for ma Local MP Toni Nater, Stratford depu- ty mayor Harjinder Nijjan and St. Marys deputy mayor Brogan Aylward all voiced support for The Local. “Everything represents individuals,” said Aylward. “We’re here for the people; they come for all sorts of reasons.” Surveys show the beneficial effect of The Local for those people. Eighty-one per cent of respondents said the commu- nity food centre improved their access to nourishing, culturally appropriate food, 87 per cent said it gave them an increased sense of belonging and support, and 91 per cent said it had made changes to their eat- ing habits. The Local goes into the new fiscal year with a renewed sense of purpose, a dedicated and focused board of director chaired by Katie deBlock Boersma and a strong staff including Smart, gardener Lu- cas Tingle and Chef Lucy Dillinger. Even so, as director, local realtor and auctioneer Brent Shackleton said, The Lo- cal cannot survive, let alone continue to thrive, without the support of the donors who came through this year. The need for them and to ask for their help continues. Immediately following this statement, Shackleton pledged $50,000 and treasur- er Katelyn Cullitin of BMO Wealth Man- agement pledged another $50,000 towards the $750,000 needed to keep the operation going. Following the meeting, those in atten- dance were invited to stay for a sampling of what The Local offers: a variety of de- licious and healthy treats, a chance to visit the Fresh Produce store that is open twice a week, and a tour of the newly cleared area where an outdoor space is planned — a prelude to more of the same to follow. City reminds drivers to share the road STRATFORD TIMES STAFF stratfordtimes@gmail.com Drivers and cyclists alike will be noticing new fea- tures on Albert Street aimed at increasing road safe- ty. One of those features, the City of Stratford shared in a Facebook post to its page, is the use of road markings called “sharrows,” which feature the image of a bicycle with two chevron arrows above. The sharrows on Albert Street between Waterloo Street and Front Street indicate that motorists and Optimist Club of Downie Inc. OPTI-CASH CALENDAR DRAW July 28 Bill Anderson, Stratford .......... $50.00 July 29 Brittany Myers, London .......... $50.00 duly 30 Dianne Downing, St. Marys ....... $50.00 July 31 Norman Deakins, Wiarton . Aug. 01 Shelly Bonnett, Embro .. . Aug. 02 Jason McKay, Stratford .......... Aug. 03 Jason Wolfe, Tilbury Aug. 04 Simon Duncan, St. Marys . . Aug. 05 Bill Thomson, St. Pauls .... Aug. 06 Gerald Scheerer, Stratford . . Aug. 07 Jen Burchill, St. Marys. Aug. 08 Nancy & Jamie Ready, St. ‘Marys .. Aug. 09 Millie Koert, St. Pauls. . Aug. 10 Georgia Ahrens, Stratford . . ALL OF THE CALENDARS. HAVE BEEN SOLD (J) Franklin E. Hinz 196 Ontario Street, Stratford 519-273-1633 SHARE THE ROAD cyclists share the same one-way lane. Sharrows are typically used where there is not enough space to provide a dedicated bike lane. For drivers, the sharrows serve as a reminder to ex- pect cyclists on the road and to share the lane safely. (CITY OF STRATFORD PHOTO) Sharrows along Albert Street are a reminder for drivers to expect cyclists on the road and to share the lane safely. Motorists should give cyclists the same respect and courtesy as they would another motor vehicle. In other words, drivers should not expect cyclists to move over or get out of the way, the post read. “Please share the road safely and responsibly.” Queer Book of the Month ALIDA LEMIEUX Stratford Public Library Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion by Bushra Rehman @SPL: FIC Rehma Razia Mirza grows up wearing sal- apart Razia starts hanging out with new friend, Taslima. The two begin rebelling: getting their hair cut, listen- ing to Billboard American Top 40, and wearing thrift store finds. Then Razia is accepted to a prestigious high school in Manhattan and she falls for a female classmate. Family and community ex- pectations conflict with Razia’s desire to live her own truth. Rehman’s slow-paced, character-driven, coming-of- age story set in New York in the 1980s tips its hat to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. Razia is a child of immigrants growing up in a neighbourhood of immigrants. Her parents and friends’ parents work incredibly hard to make ends meet and find their way in Amer- ica, while keeping a firm grip on many of their Pakistani Muslim traditions. At times, this culture clash weighs heavily on Razia, adding a layer of complexity to her teenage angst. Nos- talgic and sometimes-funny yarns (like the time Razia and her friends | find a Playboy magazine) are inter- spersed with episodes of grim vio- lence and implied sexual abuse. While | the second half of the book is continu- | ous in its timeline, each chapter in the first half is a memory roo by an older, wiser-sounding Razia. Author Bushra Rehman is Paki- stani-American and also grew up in Corona. She peppers the text with Urdu words and sheds light on many aspects of Pakistani Muslim culture, traditions, and taboos. A Lambda Literary Awards fi- nalist, Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion is a heart-breaking story of female friendship, community, queer love, and going your own way. -