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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, October 16, 2013 | 6 Editorial With Thanksgiving under our belt as well as a few moments to slow down and appreciate all we have to be thankful for in our lives, it's not too late to help others experience the same feeling. While there are many worthy local charities and projects in town, there is one that has appealed for assistance and helping out won't require a huge time commitment or outlay of cash. At Fareshare food bank, the shelves are almost empty. The Speers Road charity that depends solely on the kindness and generosity of the community, as it receives no other funding, is stocking up for winter. It is doing so with its annual Thanksgiving food drive, which began ahead of the long weekend holiday and continues through Saturday (Oct. 19). If you were too caught up in preparing for your own celebratory feast in the days ahead of the holiday, there is still time to share the wealth of this special time with those less fortunate. Donations of non-perishable food are sought to assist Fareshare serve its growing clientele through the toughest winter months. The Thanksgiving food drive is the largest and most signi cant of the year for Fareshare. Food collected will help sustain Fareshare through Easter and will assist the 370 families who use the food bank, said Nancy Bromberg, Fareshare president. Bromberg, a volunteer like all Fareshare staff members, said the organization is "holding its own" but stressed the need for monetary donations in order that fresh food, such as chicken, sh and hamburger meat, can be purchased for clients. Of the1,200 people who rely on the food bank on a monthly basis, nearly half of those in need are children. Close to one-third of Fareshare clients are new to Canada, and nearly 40 per cent are dealing with a disability. Food donations can be made directly at Fareshare, 1240 Speers Rd., Unit 6, and at any re station or grocery stores in town. Monetary donations should be made in person. "Trying to convince people that we have roughly 370 families a month relying on us for 12 months a year is the big challenge," said long-time Fareshare volunteer and one-time Oakville public school principal Ron Ziegel. Ziegel noted that right now Fareshare has the least amount of food during any other point of the year. The items in shortest supply include soda crackers, side dishes, bags of rice, hot and cold cereal, small boxes of raisins, juice boxes, fruit cups, canned salmon, canned pasta, instant coffee, pasta sauce and #5/#6 diapers. For more information, visit www.oakvillefoodbank.com or call 905-847-3988. "Connected to your Community" E O U T 467 Speers Road, Oakville ON, L6K 3S4 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 51 | Number 123 Still time to share for Thanksgiving T A K I N G T I M The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production Acclaim Health's Seniors' Day Program celebrated 25 years of supporting people with Alzheimer's disease and dementia in Oakville and Burlington with a special gathering at its Sheridan College location last week. Here, CEO Angela Brewer speaks with client Jimmy Bayzat. The program provides a venue for clients to have fun, socialize, stay active and engaged while family members and caregivers get a much-needed break. | photo by Eric Riehl ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog) SANDY PARE MARK DILLS MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution Mayor looks to results and challenges Rob Burton Mayor of Oakville My View CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager The Mayor's 2013 Town Status Speech: Creating Canada's Most Livable Town is the seventh annual town status speech delivered by Oakville Mayor Rob Burton and is available at www.towntv.ca/2013town-status-speech.htm. This year's speech was results-focused. When we look at what we've been achieving as a council, as Town of Oakville staff and as engaged residents this year, it's clear we are achieving our vision of being Canada's most livable town. Our accomplishments have been enabled by the way residents, Council and Town staff trust each other and work together for our common goals. A greener and cleaner town We plant thousands of trees annually to reach our goal of a 40 per cent urban forest canopy. We're successfully ghting the invasive emerald ash borer, caring for our Natural Heritage System (NHS) and funding environmental education and awareness programs. We're minimizing waste to the point the town won three Gold Ontario Waste Minimization Awards. Facilities for all We've added 800,000 square feet of new community facilities to the 2006 total of 1.1 million. We're not stopping there. Across the north, we have updated our three community centres. We're working on a new look for the old hospital site (on Reynolds Street), a restored and revitalized Oakville Arena, a reinvigorated and updated Centennial Square, and a community centre for North Park. Lower tax increases with more and better service facilities We have cut our tax-paid debt by 43 per cent, and we're on track to eliminate it in 10 years. We're keeping total tax increases to the level of in ation. We're achieving this while enhancing the programs and services residents value most. Perhaps one example is the most dramatic: the average total property tax levy increase is going down. see Mayor on p.8 Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud Official Media Sponsor For: The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to: ablackburn@oakvillebeaver. com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.