By Susan Swan
Better Meals Clinton
The Clinton Health Care Auxiliary has been working to bring affordable, nutritious, and ready-to-eat meals to seniors, shut-ins, and others in Clinton. They have been working with a company from Burnaby called Better Meals, which provides home delivery of frozen meals. Several people in Clinton had shown an interest; then everything came to a halt with the wildfires and road closures.
After learning of the evacuation alerts and orders in the area, Sam Chan of Better Meals wanted to do something to help. On Friday, August 25 he and Quinn Bolton arrived in Clinton with 50 bags, each holding five frozen meals to be donated to people in Clinton. The Health Care Auxiliary members delivered the meals to those who had shown an interest, as well as anyone else they thought may appreciate the ready-made, frozen meals.
Included in the donation were a variety of full course meals, including soup and dessert. Better Meals offers healthy meals with menus that include full course dinners, à la carte items, fresh salads, sandwiches, and seasonal specials. Special dietary menus are available, including diabetic, weight control, low sodium, and puréed menus. The meals are delivered right to the door on a weekly basis and are very affordable. Delivery is free.
Anyone wishing to learn more about the meals can call toll-free to 1-888-838-1888, or check online at www.bettermeals.ca.
The Clinton Health Care Auxiliary appreciates the generous donation made by Better Meals to Clinton residents affected by the wildfires.
Music in the Park
On Saturday, August 26 more than 200 people gathered in Reg Conn Centennial Park for a “Welcome Home” bash. The Clinton and District Art and Cultural Society sponsored the Music in the Park.
United Steelworkers Local 1-417 members barbecued hundreds of hotdogs and hamburgers. They were accepting donations for the Loon Lake Fire Department, who lost their fire hall to the Elephant Hill fire. Volunteers were on hand to ensure that everyone got food and drinks.
The United Steelworkers did the cooking for the barbecue, but acknowledged the donations of food from the United Way and Costco. United Way volunteers helped with making sure there was a steady supply of condiments, chips, veggies, etc., and West Fraser Sawmill supplied boxes and boxes of cupcakes for dessert. A total of $3,100 was raised by the barbecue for the Loon Lake Fire Department.
The Ambler Family took to the stage and entertained the crowd while everyone enjoyed their meal. When they took a break, the Board of Directors of the Clinton and District Community Forest advised that the Community Forest was donating $4,000 to the Loon Lake Fire Department. Board Chair Robin Fennell stated that one of the mandates of the Community Forest was to give back to the community.
Following this announcement, Arlen Park took a turn entertaining the crowd. It was a great way to celebrate the rescinding of the Evacuation Order on August 15 and the rescinding of the Evacuation Alert on August 25. It was a great Welcome Home for everyone.
Happy holiday
It’s hard to believe that the Labour Day Weekend is upon us already. It feels like we missed this summer completely. It will take a long time for many to recover. The amount of support shown by so many has been amazing.
It may be a little easier for the children as they return to school, see their friends again, and settle into a routine.
I wish everyone a happy, safe Labour Day weekend.
Final column
This is my final column in The Ashcroft-Cache Creek Journal. I first started writing for The Journal in 1997. I have quit this column twice before and then, reluctantly, taken it on again when no one stepped up to keep it going. I feel it is important to let people know what is happening in our community. I thank those who shared their groups’ events and activities with me over the years.
I hope everyone will be supportive of the new Clinton correspondent, Raven Nyman. Let her know what is happening. I sometimes wouldn’t find out about an event until someone asked “Hey, why weren’t you at such-and-such?” Your correspondents can only cover events of which they are aware.
Thank you for the comments on my columns. I appreciated the feedback, though sometimes it surprised me that people actually read my ramblings.