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Food Initiatives

Lunch Is On Us Creates Connection

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Last Thursday, a woman (we’ll call her Mary) stopped in to Lunch Is On Us to pick up lunch for herself, and for a friend who was grieving over the loss of a loved one. The friend had told her she wasn’t eating much, so Mary thought some goulash soup and chicken pasta, along with company, would perk her up a bit. “I grew up with goulash” she told the chefs, Jay and Lydia, “It’s like comfort food to me.” She left just before meal service was closing.

At 2:15, Mary came flying back in the door. “Do you still have food?” she asked, slightly breathless. Jay assured her there was some left so she got the same orders again, explaining as she waited. As Mary had been walking to her friend’s house, she passed a woman walking a dog. They said a few words, and the other person confided that she was just in town that day to support someone going through cancer treatments. Mary listened and then thrust her bag with the two lunches at her. “Here take these,” she exclaimed. “They will be fairly easy for your friend to eat and I can go and get more.” She explained that Lunch Is On Us is all about connection and that they were free from SIRCH. With a smile, the woman took the lunches from Mary, thanked her, and headed back to her friend.

This is exactly what Lunch Is On Us is about. Making a winter day a little less lonely, a little less isolating—and a lot more bright for the Haliburton County community.

From November through March, SIRCH offers a free lunch once a week in Haliburton Village. Since we started in November, we’ve served 329 guests 129 main dishes, 127 sandwiches, and 211 soups and salads! All free. All done through donations, sponsorship and fundraising.

Gifts from the Heart is our major fundraiser and it supports Lunch Is On Us. To contribute to this year’s Gifts from the Heart campaign, visit www.sirch.on.ca/gifts or phone 705-457-1742. To make a donation in person, you can visit SIRCH’s offices Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., located at 49 Maple Avenue, Unit 4, Haliburton.

We hope to see Mary back every Thursday. And we hope to see you at SIRCH Central too (2 Victoria Street, Haliburton). Come and eat in, tell some tales, relax. Or take food out and share with a friend. Lunch is on us.

This fall and winter—Lunch Is On Us!

To help make the winter a little less lonely, a little less isolating—and a lot more bright—SIRCH Community Services is hosting Lunch Is On Us for the Haliburton County community.

“Winter can be tough! Below freezing temperatures, limited sunlight, and higher-than-ever household expenses, can leave you feeling pretty down and alone some days.” said Gena Robertson, Executive Director of SIRCH. “Lunch Is On Us lets you meet up with your friends or come and make new ones while having a delicious and healthy lunch at no cost to you!”

Starting November 7, 2019 until February 27, 2020, SIRCH will host Lunch Is On Us each Thursday from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at SIRCH Central, 2 Victoria Street, Haliburton. (Note, there is no Lunch Is On Us on Boxing Day, December 26, 2019.)

“Each Thursday, Lunch Is On Us will feature a different menu,” Jay McIvor, SIRCH’s Food Initiatives Coordinator, said enthusiastically. “For example, one week we may serve a hearty chilli with homemade buns, and another we’ll serve grilled cheese with bacon and homemade soup—always with a dessert, of course. We can serve 50 to 60 people each week. Meals can be eaten-in or taken-out.”

The first Lunch Is On Us is on November 7 from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

These lunches have been made possible by donations to Gifts from the Heart, sponsorships and other donations. “Lunch Is On Us is free of charge,” said Robertson. “It’s our way of thanking and supporting the community we live in, and we also are able to offer training opportunities to past graduates of Cook It Up. A donation jar will be available and if you’d like to ‘pay it forward’ we’d appreciate it, but there is no expectation—we just want people to come out, get warm, connect and have some fun.”

For more information about Lunch Is On Us, visit www.sirch.on.ca/lunchisonus or phone 705-457-1742.

SIRCH’s Lunch Is On Us program does not receive funding support from any level of government. SIRCH’s annual fundraising campaign, Gifts from the Heart, is currently underway and is an opportunity for you to support SIRCH programs including Lunch Is On Us. Visit www.sirch.on.ca/gifts to contribute.

So come and join us—for 16 winter weeks, Lunch Is On Us!

Take a tasty trip to Korea—without leaving the Highlands

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Tired of making the same old dinners, day after day, week after week? Curious about flavours and dishes from other parts of the world? Want to improve your cooking skills?

SIRCH Community Services has just the thing to rejuvenate your meal preparations: Korean Cooking Classes!

In these classes, you will learn to cook authentic, popular Korean dishes: Bulgogi Jeongol (hot pot), Dumpling Jeongol, Soondubu Jjigae (soft tofu stew), and Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup).

“I am passionate about cooking, and sharing my Korean heritage with others,” said class instructor Lydia Kim of SIRCH Community Services. “You don’t need to be an experienced cook to participate. Just be open to trying new skills and trying new tasty dishes!”

A graduate of SIRCH’s Cook It Up restaurant industry job training program, Lydia moved to Haliburton County from Peterborough a number of years ago. She originally emigrated from Korea when she was a teenager. “Food helps bring people together. When family and friends work together in the kitchen, they enjoy their time together, create memories, and the meal tastes just that much better.” She encourages friends and couples to sign up for the classes so they can share and socialize together.

Each class, you’ll learn how to prepare a specific Korean dish, then sit down together and eat your delicious lunch! You’ll take back recipes so you can make the dish at home too! Proceeds from the classes will help support SIRCH Community Service’s food initiatives, like the Community Kitchen.

There are four Korean Cooking Classes in fall 2019:

  • Monday, October 21, 2019 – Bulgogi Jeongol (hot pot)
  • Monday, November 4, 2019 – Dumpling Jeongol
  • Monday, November 18, 2019 – Soondubu Jjigae (soft tofu stew)
  • Monday, December 2, 2019 – Samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup)

The classes will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at SIRCH Central, located at 2 Victoria Street, Haliburton (next to the laundromat). Class size is limited to eight people, so there’s opportunities to ask questions, participate, and assemble the dish. The cost per person per class is $65. You can pick and choose what class you’d like to attend. Or, register for three classes and get the fourth class for half price. Register and pay for the cooking classes by calling SIRCH at 705-457-1742, or drop by 49 Maple Avenue, Unit 4, in Haliburton.

Haliburton residents and visitors have previously enjoyed Lydia’s cooking at SIRCH’s Korean Cooking Classes held in spring 2019, and to rave reviews at the International Bistro at the Haliburton Highlands Secondary School during the summer.