The Bayfield BreezeBayfield Breeze Week 26 Issue 624
June 23, 2021
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Hill Celebrated For Three Decated Of Faithful Harvests
Story And Photos By W. Laurie
It is a family affair! At a roadside celebration on Oct. 6, the Hill Family were recognized for their 30 years as a growing partner with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. The project is located on Mill Road, between Varna and Bayfield on land owned by Hill and Hill Farms. The land was originally offered by the late Gordon Hill for the project, and succeeding generations of the family continue the tradition of service. Today, Gordon’s son and daughter-in-law, Bev and Shirley Hill, his grandsons Paul and Jim and his great grandson Luke Hill are all involved in the project.
A fieldside celebration was held on Oct. 6 to honor the Hill Family for their contributions over the past 30 years to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) growing project on their farm at Varna.
In 1990, after three years of donations to the newly formed Canadian Foodgrains Bank by the Goshen and Varna United Church Women’s (UCW) groups, a growing project committee was struck at the prompting of the late Gordon Hill. The then Varna and Goshen United Churches teamed up to sponsor the first corn crop which was grown and donated by Hill and Hill Farms. This first crop was a bountiful one and multiple machines donated by area farmers took the crop off. The inaugural project was spearheaded by Art and Jean Bennett, Gordon Hill and Hugh McBride.
The growing project became the Varna-Goshen-Stratford project when Stratford Centennial joined in an urban-rural partnership in 1996. When Centennial closed in 2006, Parkview in Stratford became the urban partner. In the early days joint fundraising, stone picking days and back-and-forth social activities were all part of this partnership. The churches’ donation to the Foodbank went from $2,845 dollars per year to $9,310! Every year the Hills participated by donating land and work to the project.
Overtime, the logistics of getting area farmers and their equipment together for the planting and care of the project became cumbersome, so the project moved from multiple farmers planting, spraying and harvesting to the share-cropping plan with Hill and Hill Farms which continues to this day
In 2013, the project expanded once again as Varna and Goshen churches were disbanded and the project moved to the newly created Brucefield Community United Church
Food Bank
The Bayfield Area Food Bank (BAFB) is hoping to add a few more volunteers to their roster.
“If you are someone that could spare a couple of weekday hours once or twice per month, and are able to handle fairly heavy lifting, the food bank could really use your help, with the unloading of our monthly delivery truck, and the demands of occasional food drives,” said Terry Henderson, president of the BAFB.
Anyone who would like to learn more regarding this volunteer opportunity, is asked to please email their contact information and availability details to bayfieldareafoodbank@gmail.com.
All donations whether of non-perishable products, personal care items, or monetary donations, are very much appreciated by both volunteer staff and clients.
Anyone in need of assistance at this time, is asked to please reach out through either an email to bayfieldareafoodbank@gmail.com or phone/text 519 955-7444. All enquiries are handled with complete confidentiality.
For anyone who would like to support BAFB with a monetary gift, there are a few options available. Cheques can be mailed to: Bayfield Area Food Bank, 10 Keith Cres., Bayfield, ON, N0M 1G0. An e-transfer can be made through BAFB’s gmail account: bayfieldareafoodbank@gmail.com or a donation can be received on-line through the www.canadahelps.org website.
All donations of $20 or more will be receipted for tax purposes. BAFB is a registered charity with CRA. Anyone who would like a receipt, is asked to ensure that their name and address are clearly provided along with the donation.
Speaker Series
Friends of Bayfield Library (FOBL) and Huron County Library are pleased to co-sponsor the Fall 2021 “Virtual Saturdays at the Library” Speaker Series.
All are welcome to join the ZOOM meeting on Saturday, Oct. 23 at 10:30 a.m. The topic is “Reducing Hunger in Huron County”. The speakers will be Executive Director of the Huron County Food Bank Distribution Centre (HCFBDC), Mary Ellen Zielman and President of the Bayfield Area Food Bank (BAFB), Terry Henderson
Learn about the history of both organizations, how they operate, and the areas they serve. The HCFBDC and BAFB work together to help those in the community who struggle with food insecurity. Neighbors helping neighbors!
Anyone wishing to participate in the ZOOM meeting is asked to
pre-register at the link provided on the FOBL website:
www.fobl.ca.
Photography Club Of Bayfield
Best Turnout Ever For Hullett Swamp Stomp
Photos By Jack Pal
Every year in October, the Photography Club of Bayfield (PCoB) holds an early morning photo walk through the beautiful Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area, found just to the northeast of Clinton, to try and capture the beauty of the area especially the Fall colors.
“Over the ten years we have encountered rain, brilliant skies, partial clouds…and even snow,” said Jack Pal, representing the PCoB. “The most consistent feature has been that, regardless of the weather, the experience has always led to some amazing photos and great social bonding amongst club members.”
Pal added that this year was no exception.
“Eleven club members, the largest turnout yet, braved the pre-dawn 6:30 start to “photo stroll” through the beautiful Hullett Marsh. Although a bit early for the rich fall colors Hullett is nevertheless always magical,” he said.
Editor’s note: Thank you to Jack Pal for sharing some of his”impressions” from the walk with readers this week.
Submissions
My granddaughter was able to visit, along with her family, this past weekend and at bedtime we had a conversation about how many days there were before Christmas. We worked out the math together and came up with 77 sleeps. She thought that was a long time. I explained when you are a child it is indeed a very long time for your principle task is to wait for the big day to arrive. It’s a little different for the adults making the preparations. What may have sparked this conversation was the fact she had seen two boxes wrapped in festive paper waiting by the door to be sent home for her and her elder brother.
It has become a holiday tradition that every year at Thanksgiving, the last time we will probably see each other until the Christmas break, I have their Advent boxes ready to go. What is in these Advent boxes you might ask? Books – mostly titles with a wintery or holiday theme. Throughout the Advent season they take turns opening a book. The idea is that they then have a story to read at bedtime that night. Although, now that my grandson is 10 years-old, and an avid reader, he is more apt to receive a series of books or graphic novels, so he has reading material to last well beyond the festive season.
This visit he shared with me that he still gets excited when it is his turn to unwrap a book and in fact one of his favorite books about Norse Gods came from his Advent box last year. Such positive feedback is why I have kept the tradition alive despite the fact that frugally shopping for books during a pandemic has sometimes proved challenging. I had in the past found most of their reading material by trading with friends, or at book sales, thrift shops, yard sales and flea markets.
The idea, although a success, was not an original of mine. It was gleaned from social media. Over the last few years we have had the grandchildren here on Dec. 24th and so I am able to witness the opening of the final book and share in reading its contents before the countdown to Christmas is finally over for my granddaughter, grandson and me. – Melody
Ideas and contributions to the Bayfield Breeze are always welcome.
Deadlines for submissions are Sundays at 4 p.m
