Carp BIA donates $10,00 to WCFAC
By Jake Davies - West Carleton Online
CARP – A local feast held last fall in Carp that provided diners with the incredible flavours of the West Carleton harvest will continue to feed those who need help most this holiday season as the Carp Business Improvement Area (BIA) made a $10,000 donation to the West Carleton Food Access Centre (WCFAC) today (Dec. 21).
On Thursday, Sept. 7, the BIA hosted the debut event the Carp Harvest Supper, inside the Carp Agricultural Hall featuring a meal created from that season’s local harvest and put together by chef Cory Baird of Eldon’s Pantry.
“It’s been a lot of fun, and a lot of the menu design is just looking at what the farmers are growing,” Baird told West Carleton Online that night. “It’s the Harvest Dinner, so fall. So, a lot of just autumn things. Autumn colours, so squash, cabbage, kale, all the root veggies. That’s kind of it in terms of planning, you look at what the farmers have, and riff off them. I’ve had a blast; it’s been a great time and I’d love to do it again.”
During the event, BIA chair Jennifer Stewart announced the BIA would donate $10,000 of the revenue of the event to the WCFAC.
Today, the donation became official.
Members of the Carp BIA and representatives of the WCFAC gathered in Carp for a really big cheque presentation.
“It will cover many of the gift cards that we bought for Christmas,” WCFAC’s Sharon Roper told West Carleton Online today. “And it will help us restock our shelves.”
The deadline for families to request assistance for the WCFAC’s Christmas initiative was yesterday (Dec. 20), but the organization doesn’t really put a deadline on helping the community.
“Sometimes we have a few stragglers,” Roper said. “The phone lines are monitored all the way through Christmas.”
The BIA was as excited to make the official donation as the WCFAC was to receive it.
“I think on behalf of the entire board it feels fantastic,” BIA chair Jenniger Stewart told West Carleton Online. “We wanted to honour the farmers but also recognize there are a lot of people with need in our community and give back to a very deserving organization that has a huge impact in the community.”
