October 2018 - In This Issue
  • Volunteer Dufferin Report Card
  • F2S - Local Food Club
  • CHATT - Walking with Poles
  • DC MOVES - September Forum
Headwaters Communities in Action
Volunteer Dufferin Report Card
Volunteer Dufferin has now been a project of HCIA for over a year! The official re-launch of the new website was the highlight of last year's HCIA AGM. Since then, Volunteer Dufferin has posted amazing results. Above, are just a few Volunteer Dufferin stats from the past year.
Farm to School
Local Food Club - Here We Grow…
Headwaters Food and Farming Alliance’s Local Food Club program is a monthly “meal-in-a-bag”, featuring a variety of local foods, seasonal recipes, information about the suppliers, nutritional report cards and tips for cooking with kids, all packed in a fun, bright orange backpack, which students and staff can take home from school. The goals of the program are to connect eaters and growers in Headwaters, to encourage kids to cook, and families to explore new foods together. Each monthly pack costs $25, and sliding scale pricing is available. The school benefits from fundraising dollars donated back or free packs of Local Food Club.
 
On average, we pack 145 Local Food Club packs per month. We would like to increase membership to 200 packs, by the new year. Please help us reach our goal by encouraging friends and families in our program schools to sign up for Local Food Club here: http://hffa.ca/farmtoschool/order-lfc/
 
Local Food Club is currently running in the following 12 program schools:
 
  • Alton Public School, Alton
  • Belfountain Public School, Belfountain
  • Centennial Hylands School, Shelburne
  • Credit Meadows Public School, Orangeville
  • Glenbrook Public School, Shelburne
  • Hyland Heights School, Shelburne
  • Island Lake Public School, Orangeville
  • Macville Public School, Bolton
  • Mono Amaranth Public School, Mono
  • Princess Elizabeth Public School, Orangeville
  • Primrose Elementary School, Mulmur
  • St. Andrew School, Orangeville
 
If you are interested in possibly introducing the program to a Headwaters school not listed here, please contact Adelle at food@headwaterscommunities.org or 519-217-5189.
Fun - Funds Raised - Fundraising
Savour Fair
It was such a great day on the farm in August, we just can’t stop talking about it! Thanks again to Rebecca Landman for the opportunity to participate and benefit from this awesome event. We look forward to doing it all again summer 2019! Savour Fair raised $2,277.17 for Farm to School.

Pictured left to right; Jacalyn Dryland - HFFA Chair, Rebecca Landman - Landman Gardens and Bakery, Adelle Barr-Klouman - Farm to School Program Coordinator
 
Thank You!
HFFA and the Farm to School Team would like to extend a Thank You to all the thirsty people attending the Dufferin Farm Tour in September and The Harvest Celebration in Orangeville in October. Thank You for supporting us via the purchase of coffee and local hot apple cider at these events. 

We loved connecting with you and sharing information about our Farm to School Programs. We are grateful you saw this as a worthy cause and chose to donate. Combined, these events raised over a whopping $600! These funds will go directly to sustaining our Farm to School Programs, including the popular Local Food Club. 

Get in on the trend
Have you heard of the trendy new fundraising idea happening at dinner parties? 

Dinner Party Fundraising is a new exciting approach to gathering with friends over a meal, while raising funds for a particular cause. More than going out for a meal, more than an online donation to a worthy cause, more than catching up with friends! Gather your friends and host a dinner party, ask your friends to bring along a donation to support the cause and give back while getting together during the Holiday Season.

Get in touch with our Farm to School team if you would like to help coordinating a Fundraising Dinner Party to benefit our programs. 519-217-5189 or food@headwaterscommunities.org.
CHATT- Citizens of Headwaters for Active Transportation Team
Walking With Poles by Nicola Ross
Once poo-pooed by “real walkers,” using hiking or walking poles is gaining in popularity. Check out any hiking or outdoor store and you’ll see a dizzying selection of often brightly coloured, hi-tech poles. Some, like my Black Diamond Distance FLZ trekking poles, fold up into a small package that’s great for travelling.

If you are wondering whether or not you should walk with poles, here are six reasons why it’s a good idea:

Five Reasons for Using Hiking Poles
  1. According to Nordixx, a Canadian company that makes walking poles, when used properly they engage 90 percent of your body’s muscles and burn up to 46 percent more calories than regular walking. In particular, use of walking poles tones those hard to exercise triceps.
  2. You’ll go faster so keeping up with your friends or family is easier. After all, walking is supposed to reduce stress, not increase it.
  3. If you live in a town or city, chances are your outdoor walking is mostly on hard, even surfaces such as sidewalks. As a result, the unevenness of a hiking trail and the odd root or stone can be tricky until you become more used to dealing with these obstacles. Using hiking poles reduces the chances that you will twist an ankle or even fall, especially if the trail is wet and slippery.
  4. Regardless of your age, walking downhill is hard on your knees and other joints. Using poles while walking downhill reduces the load on your knees and other joints. They can also help you negotiate up a steep slope.
  5. Roaming dogs are not much of a problem in Southern Ontario, but I have walked in places where dogs are an issue. My poles have come in very handy on these occasions.
  6. I’ve also used my walking poles to push long grass or brambles out of my way, to knock apples off trees, to lower a wire fence I’m climbing, to retrieve something I’ve dropped in a river, as a clothesline and myriad other inventive ways.

If you are interested in taking a class in Nordic Pole Walking, contact Tina Daalderop ( daalderop@sympatico.ca ). For tips on using walking poles properly, take a look at this short YouTube video. Also see another of Nicola's walking with poles articles in In The Hills magazine .

Author Bio:    From Loops & Lattes Hiking Guides’ author and avid hiker Nicola Ross. Visit www.nicolaross.ca to purchase one of her four hiking guides, sign up for her newsletter and receive info about hiking trails, books, contests and more.

Photos courtesy of Rosemary Hasner. Visit her website at Black Dog Creative Arts .
DC MOVES Better Together
The DC MOVES (Dufferin County – Managing, Organizing, Validating, Engagement Strategies) initiative continues to build momentum as a support for greater human services integration and collaboration.  
The   September 25 th DC MOVES forum was hosted by the Poverty Reduction Pillar at the Grand Valley Arena/Community Centre. It was our first event to be held in Grand Valley.  

Anna McGregor announced the renewed, revised and expanded poverty table. DC Health providers, practitioners and hospital have come together under a newly drafted Terms of Reference to combine the two poverty tables to be known as the DCEC (Dufferin County Equity Collaborative). There is more to come on this as DCEC organizes around priorities for action.   

The agenda included sharing from the Tamarack Cities Reducing Poverty Eastern Summit of Sept 18, 19 th , a review and next steps for our pillars and a brief but very informative introduction to the WDG PH Interactive data tools portal.   See the DCMOVES.org website for updates and links to resources presented at the Forum. Forum planning for 2019 is underway and will be shared as soon as the dates are confirmed.   

As we move into the last quarter of the year please remember to share what you have coming up in the community so we can get the word out in the DC MOVES WOTMs news bulletin. Click here to contact us and to send your news items. We publish the 1 st and 3 rd Friday of the month. 
Be an Engaged Citizen
Are you interested in making life better together? Calling all future Board members! If you are passionate about your community then we would like to meet with you. Please connect with us to arrange a meeting!
We couldn’t do it without you!
Thank you to our many partners, stakeholders and volunteers who make up HCIA and its project groups. Our primary funders are the Ontario Trillium Foundation and United Way of Guelph Wellington Dufferin. We`re all Making life better together!
Listings about existing transportation options available in Headwaters, learn about eligibility requirements, hours of service and cost.
Over 20 trail descriptions, details and maps in the Headwaters region. Take a hike, enjoy a meal and browse our local shops!