Melodia Monday brings a lively celebration of music by and about Canadians to Sydenham in mid-May.

“Funny, toe-tapping and haunting, this program of Canadian songs is a great way to welcome spring, and celebrate our complicated country,” says the Grace Arts Committee; “ The group’s repertoire ranges from Newfoundland to Leonard Cohen, to The Arrogant Worms.”

Melodia Monday is an a cappella choir of local and area singers, well known for their performances in many communities in the Kingston area.

Concert-goers will also have an opportunity to enjoy the show of fibre art works by Kingston artist Phillida Hargreaves, which will be on display from May 1st at Grace Hall.

Grace Arts, which is bringing the group to Sydenham, is a committee of Southern Frontenac Community Services (SFCSC), an agency that provides health and social services to seniors and vulnerable families in rural South Frontenac, and which supports the expression of the arts from our region and beyond. Revenue from the tickets will be divided between the choir (to buy music and pay royalties,) and SFCSC, to go toward upgrading the sound and light systems of Grace Hall.

Tickets are $15 each and are available online at: www.sfcsc.ca/gracearts, or at the door. Refreshments will be available.

Some senior residents of Southern Frontenac were delighted and surprised a week ago Tuesday (April 4) when Mayor Ron Vandewal and members of the local Fire and Rescue team delivered their noon meal. It was all part of a promotion to raise the profile of Southern Frontenac Community Services’ weekly Hot Meals on Wheels program. (Menu this week was soup, salmon with dill sauce, rice and brussels sprouts, or mac and cheese as the alternate main, and chocolate oat bar for dessert.)

Vandewal later commented that it had been fun, getting to have a brief chat with people, most of whom he knew.

The program’s volunteers currently deliver 30 meals every Tuesday, and the number continues to grow. The hot meals ($7) supplement a wide menu range of frozen meals ($5) which are also available. To register, or just try out a meal or two, contact Joanne Silver, coordinator of meal programs at (613) 376-6477, ext 303 or 1-800-763-9610, or: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Local service agencies, experts and the general public are invited to attend the 2nd Rural Summit on Poverty and Housing to work together on ways to address the unique challenges faced by vulnerable rural residents in Frontenac County. The summit will take place on Tuesday, April 18, from 1:00 to 4:00pm at Oso Hall, 1107 Garrett Street in Sharbot Lake, Ontario.

“We’re trying to keep the momentum of last year’s rural summit going,” says Louise Moody, Executive Director at Northern Frontenac Community Services (NFCS), who is co-hosting the event with Southern Frontenac Community Services (SFCSC). “As a result of the 2016 session, we’ve been exploring some of the ideas proposed.”

At the 2017 version of the summit, two presentations will be made related to housing options. Chantal Landry and Robert Diebel are Occupational Therapy students from Queen’s University who have been doing their community development placement with both NFCS and SFCSC. They will present “Shared Housing: Is this an option for Frontenac County” based on research and analysis they have been conducting.

This will be followed by a presentation titled “I Think I Can, I Think I Can – the little community that could: a model for independently-funded rural housing” presented by Fay Martin and Max Ward from Haliburton County Places for People. Following these presentations, discussion will be facilitated to consider the models presented.

“We know that local solutions are the best solutions,” says Louise Moody, “but these presentations will give us great models to consider. Will they work? Maybe. Can we adapt them? Probably. It will be a healthy discussion.”

Adds David Townsend, Executive Director for SFCSC, “Our county and townships have unique characteristics, such as a high proportion of seniors, and a vast geography that can present a lot of challenges. This is a great opportunity to view these models through a lens that is specific to our unique situation.”

Super Dave is doing it again! Long-time volunteer Dave Linton raised over $2,700 last year to support healthy school snacks provided by the Southern Frontenac Food Bank in Sydenham. And he’s asking you to help him do the same or better this year.

Dave will be skiing in the 51 km Gatineau Loppet cross country ski marathon on February 18, and is seeking donations in support of his efforts. “Super Dave,” as called by his close friends, feels strongly that feeding children healthy snacks helps them learn and perform better. The Food bank based in Sydenham serves about 50 families each month with fresh and non-perishable food, and during the school year, this includes items for children to ensure they get to school with a healthy snack.

The school snack program provides healthy and fun snacks to children in families with limited incomes to ensure kids receive the fuel they need for their bodies and brains to succeed. For five years, the food bank has been providing children with non-perishable snacks, such as pudding and apple sauce. In 2015, thanks to the one time grant, these snacks were enhanced with perishable items like yogurt, cheese, grape tomatoes, baby carrots, and celery, making them even healthier. The cost of purchased items is about $4.00 per snack, with an annual cost of over $2,400.

A 51 km international level ski race sounds daunting enough, but it can be especially challenging if you are 76 years old. “I’m an advocate of daily exercise and physical activity,” says Dave, “I’ve been able to compete at this level for a long time and still hold my own. I’m excited to race again this year, and dedicate it to this cause.”

Dave – a long-time volunteer with SFCSC – has a goal of raising $2,500 once again to support and enhance the kids’ healthy school snack program. “I want to dedicate it to helping kids in our community achieve greatness, and often that starts most simply, with active living and nutritious food.”

Dave is challenging his friends, family, local businesses and the community in general to support his fundraising efforts by pledging to donate an amount per kilometre, or make a flat rate donation.

Donations can be made to support Dave by dropping by the SFCSC office or Food Bank – now located at 4295 Stage Coach Road – or donate online at http://www.sfcsc.ca/super-dave-ski-fundraiser

VISIONSoup was begun eleven years ago by Leslie Read of Sydenham Veterinary Services and Josie Steele of Sydenham Chiropractic Clinic as a way of giving something back to their communities. Popular right from the beginning, it now fills Grace Hall in Sydenham with two sittings and raises almost $4,000 to be divided equally between the Loughborough Christmas and Emergency Fund, and Southern Frontenac Community Services.

For many, it has become a delightful way to begin the winter holiday season (though last Saturday was still shorts and t-shirt weather). For $25, participants get to choose a bowl made by one of several local potters and a meal of soup from an area restaurant. Some fill their bowl with one soup, others prefer the ‘tasting’ approach, trying scoops of each of several of the wide variety of flavours. Not only do the bowls go home with their new owners, but the helpers whisk them away first and return them freshly washed.

The presentation of VISIONSoup remains largely a family affair: preparation, welcoming and serving are done by Josie and Leslie and their parents, spouses, children and friends, all wearing bright red shirts. Soups and bowls are all donated.

November 15, 2016 – “An auto-parts heiress, married to a Russian yogi/ naturopathic doctor, is turning Kingston Penitentiary into a tourist attraction. Is this an investment opportunity to die for?” So goes the story line for the upcoming Murder Mystery Dinner happening on Saturday evening, December 3, at the Grace Centre, 4295 Stage Coach Road, in Sydenham.

Local charity Southern Frontenac Community Services is teaming up with Mr. Spot Mysteries to offer a fun-filled evening in Sydenham, where armchair sleuths can test their crime-solving skills in this hilarious production, while enjoying a lovely meal and the company of others.

Tickets for the Murder Mystery Dinner are $50 each, which includes not only the entertainment, but a sit-down, three course meal, with soup or salad, main course, one drink (beer/ wine/ soft drink), dessert, coffee/ tea, and dessert. A licensed cash bar will also be available.

“For less than the price of a dinner and a movie in Kingston, residents of South Frontenac – and beyond – can enjoy a fun evening out in the beautiful setting of the historic Grace Centre,” says Andy Mills, organizing the event on behalf of SFCSC. “Our meal will be prepared by our own cook, Josey Cadieux, and her team of volunteers,” he adds.

The Murder Mystery Dinner is intended to be a community event, and Mills states that SFCSC is involved for a few reasons: “We have this beautiful space, and we want to share it with our community quite simply by hosting events such as this. We also hope that we will meet some new guests who are not familiar with our charity, and will want to get to know us in the future.”

Tickets are on sale now, and can be purchased online through the organization’s website: www.sfcsc.ca, as well as in person (cash or cheque) at their office at 4419 George Street in Sydenham.

For more information, visit: www.sfcsc.ca or contact Andy Mills at 613-376-6477, ext. 205.

Cool weather is soup weather. Luckily, the annual VISIONSoup community fund raising event will be held at the Grace Centre, 4295 Stage Coach Road, Sydenham, on Saturday, November 19 from 11:30am to 1:30pm.

Guests will receive a beautiful hand-made pottery bowl to keep, which will be filled with delicious soup from local restaurants. All proceeds will be shared between the Loughborough Christmas Hamper campaign and the Southern Frontenac Community Services Food Bank.

“We are excited to be running this event again this year,” said Josey Steel, one of the pair of organizers who plan the event.

“We are contacting restaurants and getting more and more signed on to donate soup. We expect the final tally will be almost 20 soups!” adds Leslie Reade, the other half of the dynamic duo. “Sometimes people in our community need a helping hand, and we know that these two charities do a lot to help those in need in our community. This is a way we can give back.”

The cost for VISIONSoup is $25 per person, plus a food bank donation. Tickets can be purchased at Trousdale’s General Store, Sydenham Chiropractic Clinic, Sydenham Veterinary Services, and the Southern Frontenac Community Services office at 4419 George Street.

New this year, tickets can also be bought online, through our website: www.sfcsc.ca

On Saturday October 22, the KFL&A Food Policy Council held an afternoon meeting at Grace Centre in Sydenham to discuss food-related issues. The overall focus was on food security, but underlying this were the stark statistics related to the other side of the coin, food insecurity:

“Food Insecurity: the inadequate or insecure access to food due to financial constraints.” According to the Health Unit’s 2013 statistics, over 8% of households in Kingston, Frontenac and Lennox & Addington area live with food insecurity, unsure whether there will be enough food to go around by the end of the week, or unable to serve fresh meat or fruit or vegetables because these things are too hard to get or too expensive.

David Townsend of South Frontenac Community Services, first of three speakers, compared rural conditions to city living. Rural access to food can be difficult to impossible without transportation: few rural residents have walking access to convenience stores, and there are only three supermarkets in all of South, Central and North Frontenac (Sydenham, Verona and Sharbot Lake.) The two food banks are in Sydenham and Sharbot Lake. One food bank coordinator notes that “hunting season noticeably helps (the food shortages).” Our statistical median income may look reasonable, but Townsend pointed out that it is greatly boosted by the higher incomes of lakeshore residents, especially around Sydenham and Loughborough lakes.

Ayla Fenton, president of the National Farm Youth, spoke on behalf of young farmers, many of whom have not had the experience of growing up on farms. While in 1930, 31% of the population farmed, that percentage has dropped to 1.2% today. One problem facing beginning farmers is lack of access to farmland, either owned or rented. Also, Fenton asked, “Where are the profits going? Cost of food is rising, but farm incomes remain unchanged.” Getting fresh produce from a small farm to market can also be a challenge.

Toni Picard spoke on behalf of the Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) program which would ensure that everyone receives an income sufficient to meet basic needs and to live with dignity, regardless of work status. She described how such a program, which some dismiss as ‘too expensive’ has been proven to actually cut health care and other costs, improve levels of nutrition, education and mental health, and inject cash back into local economies.

Participants then divided into discussion groups, to talk about programs and policies that might be developed or expanded to improve food security in local communities. Many ideas were floated, no hard decisions made, but the afternoon succeeded in raising participants’ awareness of some serious close-to-home issues.  

More than 8% of households in the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington area live with food insecurity. That's one in 12 households who do not know if there will be enough food next week or next month (from the 2016 Vital Signs report of the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area).

To address this issue, a “Food matters” event will be held at the Grace Centre, 4295 Stage Coach Road, Sydenham, from 1 to 4 pm on Saturday, October 22. People are invited to arrive between 12:30 and 1 pm, to meet and network with others. There is no charge and light refreshments will be served.

"Statistics about personal or family food insecurity in our region show the urgency for us to improve the food security situation here," says Dianne Dowling, a member of the Food Policy Council (FPC) for KFL&A. "That's why the FPC is holding Food Matters -- Connecting the Roots of Food Security in KFL&A, to bring people together to develop ideas for programs and policies to increase food security. Food security includes personal or family food security, as well as community food security -- the ability of the region to grow, process, store and distribute its own food. We want to help create networks of people involved in activities that relate to food and farming in KFL&A. Everyone is welcome to attend -- including community members, staff and volunteers in community organizations, elected officials, municipal staff members."

There will be panel presentations by Ayla Fenton, a young farmer; Toni Pickard from the Kingston Action Group for the Basic Income Guarantee; and David Townsend, executive director of Southern Frontenac Community Services, followed by group discussions on topics chosen by the participants. Recommendations for steps to increase food security will be collected from the groups and shared in the community.

Sponsors for Food Matters include: the Community Foundation for Kingston and Area, City of Kingston, County of Frontenac, Kingston Community Health Centres, Loving Spoonful, National Farmers Union Local 316, Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul, and Southern Frontenac Community Services.

The Food Policy Council for KFL&A formed in 2012 to work toward the creation of a more secure, accessible and sustainable food system in our region.

For more information about the FPC and about the Food Matters event, and to register for the event, go to foodpolicykfla.ca

Browen Weeks, Recreation Coordinator for the seniors’ programs at Southern Frontenac Community Services, recently came up with a somewhat unusual fundraiser for the Adult Day Services program. On August 30, he rocked in a rocking chair for 12 hours from 7 am to 7 pm, a total of 720 minutes, with the goal of collecting a dollar for every minute of rocking.

When this picture was taken around 3:30pm, Browen had exactly 3 hours, 29 minutes and 22 seconds yet to go, and had already raised over $2,000. He admitted it had been a long day but for most of it he had had plenty of visitors, some of whom rocked along with him. He had a cozy space within the huge Grace Hall: a small carpet, two other rocking chairs, a lamp, a gliding footstool and a side table well stocked with games, snacks and information about the seniors’ programs. With a wry grin, Browen admitted to one modification in his chair; it hadn’t started out with the large, soft seat cushion he was using by mid-afternoon.