Our Newest Team Member
We are thrilled to welcome Carrie Van Dorp to the A Rocha Hamilton staff team. She joined us in October to fill the role as Program Coordinator for the Beasley Urban Earth-to-Table Project, supported by World Vision Canadian Program. It’s a mouthful, like the job but she is up for the challenge!
Carrie has come to the A Rocha Hamilton Hub from the tiny town of Wiarton Ontario. She knows this city from her time as an undergraduate student in Biology at Redeemer University College, and is pleased to reconnect with Hamiltonians, to reach out to neighbours and Care for Creation together. Carrie has experience in tropical agriculture, literacy work and outdoor education – but she has a particular interest in plants and fungi, and is writing up a UBC Master’s Degree on ectomycorrhizal symbiosis. Don’t ask about the thesis but do tell her about the most interesting mold growing in your compost or the gorgeous mushrooms you’ve seen.
Beasley Urban Earth-to-Table Project
We were pleased to be partner with Hamilton Victory Gardens through the summer to welcome new Canadians into Gardening. Now we have transitioned to newcomer cooking classes and eating together. We gather two Tuesday’s a month in the Anglican Cathedral kitchen to make delicious, simple and nutritious dinner. Beginning in January we are launching a weekly Thursday lunch cooking class for refugee newcomers at the Wesley Urban Ministries Reception Centre. These participants are eager to learn, but there are language and cultural challenges as we talk about our most basic interaction with the creation – being nourished!
If you’d like to support Carrie and this project, please email earth.to.table@arocha.ca and we can discuss how you can best be involved. We would appreciate prayer, guests, volunteers, gently used kitchen equipment, or help with groceries.
Dessert Evening: Planted & Growing in Hamilton
Thank you to all the friends of A Rocha who attended this year’s annual fundraiser. We hoped to put the “F-U-N” in fundraiser and succeeded by having sweet and healthy treats, freshly-pressed apple cider by the Pallek’s and lots of stimulating conversation. One guest said, “the night was crafted with such care and gave me a new appreciation for all that’s happened in such a short time.”
While celebrating was a major focus, we also asked people to give a gift to the ministry of A Rocha. Our ambitious goal of $30,000 was stated at the beginning of the night and a matching gift of $15,000 was revealed near the end.
It’s a joy to report that we’ve now come within $860.00 of our goal. So, your generosity helped A Rocha raise $29,140 which goes directly to local programs for newcomers, kids, families and churches. Thank you again for being part of seeing transformation in people and places.
Update: Cedar Haven Farm
The autumn season brought much to celebrate and be thankful for.
- $20,000 secured in start-up funding for infrastructure projects like the trail/boardwalk, welcome gazebo and compositing toilets
- New volunteer, Doug Wilson, agreed to be the project manager for infrastructure projects
- Lease Agreement signed with Bill & Lyndia Hendry
- Open House with over 70 people; from age 1-75
- TD Friends of the Environment funding secured for $5,500
Cedar Haven Farm was also featured in A Rocha Canada’s Annual Report and Review. Have a look here – report.arocha.ca
Upcoming Events
- Jan. 3 at noon: Christmas Bird Count for Kids
- Dec. 22 – Jan. 5: Office Closed
- Jan. 6 at 4pm: Earth to Table Cooking & Meal
- Jan. 31 at 3pm: Winter Hike & Bonfire
Needs/Prayer
- Thea Anderson, recently diagnosed with cancer, is the daughter of David & Shauna Anderson (Brooksdale Centre Directors). Read more here.
- Regular volunteer to help Carrie with Earth-to-Table Program in Beasley
- $655.88 to break-even on costs-to-sales ratio from the fundraiser
Merry Christmas!
Thank you,
Luke
