by Lyle Dillabough
Organizers expect the amount raised at last Saturday’s “HAY-FLING 2012” fundraiser at the Almonte Civitan Hall will reach $20,000. As a bonus, Ontario Liberal MPP Yasir Nagvi was on hand to announce a new provincial/federal joint farm-assistance plan, one that will see $500,000 to pay the transportation costs of bringing donated hay from western Canada east to drought-stricken farmers here in eastern Ontario and western Quebec.
The Ontario and federal governments will match additional funds (up to $2,500,000) that are raised privately. This cash injection will help deliver some 20,000 bales of hay that are awaiting shipment for the rails heading east. (Much of this hay has been donated through the Mennonite Disaster Relief Services in Alberta and Saskatchewan.) About 60,000 bales are required to get local farmers through the winter.
Over $5,000 was raised Saturday night through The “Great Cake Challenge”, which saw the mayors and reeves of Lanark County’s municipalities compete to see whose cake would bring in the most cash. The town of Mississippi Mills won, with its cake going for $500. The town of Carleton Place came in second at $450.Levi Home Hardware donated to Mississippi Mills cake and the Glenview Iron Company near Smith Falls donated to the Drummond and North Elmsley cake. The Mississippi Mills cake brought in $1500 dollars and the Drummond North Elmsley cake $1360. Both amounts were doubled by government.
A packed house of around 400 people danced and sang the night away in a great display of community support and togetherness.
