"The Garden of Eatin"
North house, partnering with St. Paul's Leaskdale and the Sunrise Parent support group, are embarking on a new and exiting adventure, a community garden. Why would North House with a focus on transitional housing be interested in the food that's being produced in the community?
It has been brought to our attention over and over again that people living below the poverty line or even people trying to make ends meet spend most of their hard earned money on housing leaving little for food, especially good food.
The new community garden will provide some residents with the ability to grow their own food and vary their diets. As well, there is a communal plot that Community Living and all of the participants of the garden will tend and that food will go to the Food Bank. Fresh vegetables will be available as soon as the garden starts producing.
Past Event Reviews
Wednesday, June 4 was a great day for North House. Partnering with St Paul’s Leaskdale, we brought Tim Huff, author of The Cardboard Shack Beneath the Bridge and his new book, Bent Hope, to speak to us about young people, poverty, and hope. It was an inspiring evening. What a wonderfully humourous and engaging speaker he is as well as an intelligent, caring man who has devoted his time and energies to helping homeless young people. As he pointed out, about 30-40% of the youth he meets come from rural areas and small towns all over the country.
The stories he told about the kids he meets and talks with reminded us all that it costs nothing to be aware, compassionate and curious. As we learned some of the stories he has heard, we came to realized that these young people come from lives that have been severely broken over many years. Mending those broken lives cannot be done in a short time and supporting these particular young people can be both heart-breaking and inspiring.
Tim answered our questions, joined us for coffee, chatted informally and signed his new book for the eager audience.
Many thanks to St Paul’s Leaskdale for making the evening possible. And a special thanks to Nancy Loraine for all her enthusiasm and hard work.
Both of Tim's books are available for sale from North House. To purchase, call us at 705-426-1150. For more information about Tim Huff and his latest book click here. Go to the section on Kids Stuff for more about The Cardboard Shack.
North House Conference a Great success
On April 24, 2008 North House hosted a conference on Housing Strategies for Small Towns and Rural Communities. Over 50 representatives from a variety of organizations and agencies were on hand to discuss their concerns, participate in workshops and benefit from networking opportunities. Full details are available with the links below:
View Conference Photos
View Conference Post Event News Release
View Conference Announcement
View Conference Program
Best selling parenting book author, Ann Douglas, joined a group of mothers and provided an evening full of good advice and helpful information. The session ended with many questions and group discussions. For more information about Ann and her books, visit her website.
Door prizes were provided by Ann Douglas, North House and Pebbles & Posies Children’s Store. Thanks to Blue Heron Books for their display and book sales opportunity as well as Photography by Randy Loewen for the photos below. Our other sponsors were The Ontario Trillium Foundation, Len Graphics, P’Lovers Environmental Store and Wooden Sticks Golf Club.
