The Voice of North Grenville
The North Grenville Times
The Voice of North Grenville
www.ngtimes.ca www.ngtimes.ca
ngtimes.bsky.social
Reaching by direct mail 8,500 homes and businesses in North Grenville
April 3, 2025
Vol. 15 No. 12
The Power of Community LOOKING FOR
CANADIAN MADE FURNACES, AC’S, HEAT PUMPS OR FIREPLACES?
We have the best options for you!
(613) 519-5182
845 Prescott St., Kemptville www.rbheating.com
by Talia Hreljac On Thursday, March 27, members of the community and various charitable organizations gathered for another empowering community forum. As you walked into the room, you could feel the electricity buzzing, as everyone brainstormed ideas to address two very serious issues in our community: homelessness and poverty. There was a particularly insightful presentation on the Additional Residential Unit (ARU) initiative through the Municipality, and many are hopeful that this will help solve some of the issues surrounding affordable housing in the
community. For more information, you can check out the ARU Initiative on the municipality website. We also heard from Shalom Small Homes North Grenville, who continue their incredible work in providing affordable homes for seniors. I spoke with founder Janne Ritskes afterwards, and she noted that they receive applications for the program almost daily. While it can be heartbreaking to hear some of the stories, it fuels her drive to keep pushing forward with this amazing project. To be honest, many of us wear rose-coloured glasses as we go about our
daily lives. We're living through so many unprecedented events that we've become desensitized to the daily struggles faced by many in our community. Listening to organizations like House of Lazarus and The Salvation Army, among others, was a reminder of just how many people are struggling. The demand for food banks has skyrocketed. The Salvation Army reported that their 2024 Christmas donation campaign was their most successful ever. The donations they received were expected to last at least 10 months, but due to the increased demand, they've already begun experiencing
shortages after just three months, especially of some key essentials. One of the key issues discussed around homelessness was not just finding permanent shelter, but also providing resources to help people cope in the meantime; things like a warm shower and a place to do laundry. These are things that most of us take for granted every day. Cathy Ashby, from House of Lazarus, said something that's stuck with me ever since the meeting."You know the feeling when you've been camping all week, and you come home Cont'd on page 2
SPRING CLEANUP P TRANSFORMATION CHALLENGE APRIL 19 - JUNE 24, 2025
*ONLINE ACCOUNTABILITY SUPPORT GROUP *IN-PERSON MEETINGS *BODY SCANS *CUSTOM MACRONUTRIENT MEAL PLAN *MEAL & WORKOUT IDEAS *TIP & TRICKS *DISCOUNTS ON GROUP FITNESS & PERSONAL TRAINING AND MORE
CASH PRIZES EMAIL REGISTRATION@GETCRONKD.CA
Raina’s Mall in 1974
April 3, 2025
1
www.ngtimes.ca