Volume 55 Number 06
Friday, February 13, 2015
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Matthew Byrne from St. John’s, Newfoundland was the latest musician to put his talents on display at Tim and Jean Cameron’s house in Thompson for the Home Routes concert on Feb. 6. Nickel Belt News photo by Molly Gibson Kirby
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Byrne-in’ down the house
Manitobans gather together to help northern communities BY MOLLY GIBSON KIRBY MOLLY@THOMPSONCITIZEN.NET
Clarina Taylor lives in Gimli, and received a call from her family in St. Theresa Point asking for help. The help was related to needing food, due to the cost of items in Northern Manitoba being so high. Taylor wanted to help, and felt it was her duty to start a campaign to bring food to them. “That is where I’m from, that is my band. Even though I was adopted and I haven’t lived there since I was a little girl, that is still where my family is from. Maybe I know enough people in Manitoba that I could at
least ask and see if there’s a possibility of donations I could get together.” Taylor started asking her Facebook friends if they would be willing to help donate food, preferably dried, light packaged food that could be transported to the community using winter roads. Her earliest post at the beginning of February has been shared over 40 times. Lakeview Suites in Gimli has donated a free night’s stay to someone who helps with this project. Taylor says everyone who shares her status or donates will be put into this draw. “It’s important to help, but also important
to give back to the helpers.” The easiest way to help with this project is through financial donations. “We’ve had financial donations from Ontario and British Columbia. I think that’s probably the easiest, and makes more sense than trying to ship a bag of groceries, although that is more than welcome, too.” Taylor has set up a community account at CIBC. This is an easy way to send funds safety. “So I am accepting EFTs (electronic funds transfers) to LeanMonthsNorthernFoodDrive@gmail.com. This money will be dir-
ectly deposited into the community account.” This money will help towards transportation costs, like gas, and any extra will go towards topping up the hampers. Taylor made it clear she would not be sending any money to St. Theresa Point, just the food. There are also drop-off places in Gimli and in Winnipeg for food. More information can be found on Clarina Taylor’s Facebook page about the drop-off spots. Currently in Thompson a 12-pack of Coke is on sale for two for $9, whereas at the Northern Store in St. Theresa Point, which is operated by the
Northwest Company, a 12-pack of coke last week for $16.99. This week a box of brand name cereal is nearing the $9 mark, and in Thompson they are half the price. Taylor will be accepting donations until Feb. 25, and then at the end of the month they will begin to transportation the food to the community. “I just want to get it up to that area. There may be some people who don’t need it at all. I think we will do a list and everyone gets a bag that needs one, and if there is extra it can go over to the next community and we will just see how much we have.”
This project is about community support, says Taylor. Never doubting for a minute they would receive the help they needed, Taylor says this project also brings up other relevant issues in Manitoba like racism and the current boycott of Northwest Company’s stores, because of the high price of food in northern Canada. “We are all participating in something really great by helping out and recognizing the issues for what they are, which is to make sure people have food when they need it. We give up a little, to share a little bit.”