PENINSULA
NEWS
Established 1912
Watch for breaking news at www.peninsulanewsreview.com
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Taking fruit to a better place New alliance donates excess fruit, veggies from people’s gardens to Sidney Lions food bank Devon MacKenzie News staff
This old house turns 100
W
hen Mike and Sheri Lynn Eso bought h ttheir home at 10162 Resthaven Dr., it w was planned as a flip project of sorts. B But eight years after buying it and as ttheir home turns 100 years old, they are happily settled in. “When we first bought it we planned it to be a
flip. We were going to reno it and planned on selling it. But we’re so comfortable here and there’s still things we want to do to it,” explained Sheri Lynn. The pair bought the home on a whim, only one year after moving into a brand new home on Orchard Avenue. PLEASE SEE: Couple fell in love, page A3
Two Peninsula groups have joined forces to keep the Sidney Lions food bank stocked full of fresh fruit and vegetables this summer and fall. The Brentwood Divas, a group of women dedicated to sustainability and the environment, paired with the Farmlands Trust to start a program they dubbed Stop Fruit Drop. With the help of pickers, the groups assist homeowners who are unable to handle the volume of fruit or vegetables in “Fresh their gardens and yards. They share produce… is the produce with the homeowner (if he or she is interested), keep a small something we portion to sell through the Farmlands Trust and give the bulk to the food don’t get enough bank. of at the food “Last year we started doing fruit bank.” recovery in local yards, but we felt we needed wider reaching arms,” – Bev Elder, food explained Brentwood Diva Janet bank adminstrator Cram. “By teaming up with Farmlands Trust it fills their mandate to enhance local farming capacity and it fills our purpose of spreading the word about sustainability and environment.” Cram said the program is taking off and the group expects to get busier through the summer and fall. “We’ve done a few picks already and we’re going into apple and plum season so we’re hoping to have lots of fresh produce to pick for the food bank. We’re really excited,” Cram said. Sidney Lions food bank administrator Bev Elder said the service the two groups are providing to the food bank is invaluable. “Fresh produce, or fresh anything really, is something we don’t get enough of at the food bank,” she said. According to Elder the food bank serves 1,100 Peninsula-based clients a month, 39 per cent of whom are children under 16 and 12 per cent of whom are seniors 65 and older. “Fresh fruit and vegetable are obviously very nutritious and something a lot of our clients, being low income, can’t afford and therefore don’t get enough of. So they are benefitting hugely from this service,” she said. Contact the Brentwood Divas at 250-652-4625 to arrange picking and transport of the produce to the food bank. reporter@peninsulanewsreview.com
MANAGING THE WORLD’S MOST IMPORTANT INVESTMENTS: YOURS! A Partner in your Financial Success
The Cannery Building #205-2537 Beacon Avenue Sidney, B.C. 250-657-2206
ALLAN R. GREEN VICE-PRESIDENT / BRANCH MANAGER SENIOR INVESTMENT ADVISOR
National Bank Financial is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of National Bank of Canada which is a public company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. (NA: TSX).