SIRCH Community Services

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Are you worried about food?

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Do you sometimes wonder how you’ll put food on the table for you and your family?  Are you concerned about the upcoming fall and winter?

SIRCH Community Services is looking to the community to help them assess the need for food in general and SIRCH’s frozen meals specifically.  While requests for the meals have increased dramatically, SIRCH isn’t sure it’s all COVID related.

We are connecting with local food banks, community organizations, and residents to collect information and experiences on the impact of the pandemic as it relates to their ability to purchase nutritious food. We’re also asking some additional questions to try to gather information that might be helpful in creating solutions to food insecurity in our county. Already we have made valuable and meaningful connections in the community, and the research being done will have a greater impact on Haliburton County.

An online survey will help capture issues in regards to food security and whether they are COVID related or not.. The survey is completely confidentiality.  No names or identifying information will be given out. 

SIRCH appreciates and values everybody who takes the time to complete the survey and share their story. This information is highly valuable and will help shape their outreach programs going forward. 

Click HERE to complete the Food Security Survey

CAN YOU SEW? Sewing for a Great Cause!

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SIRCH, in collaboration with Haliburton Highlands Health Services, will be serving as a collection depot for homemade fabric face masks.

HHHS has been working closely with the Regional

Health Unit to determine best practice with respect to this form of equipment for both current and future requirements.  They do currently have sufficient quantities of medical masks but recognize that fabric masks could be a response option when other supplies have been exhausted. 

Fabric masks can also be used in the community, for non-medical individuals who want to be safe when needing to be out and about. People shouldn’t consider wearing a homemade face mask as a substitute for regularly washing their hands and other preventative measures, such as physical distancing and not touching their face.  But masks may help reduce droplet transmissions in closer quarters with people.

Many individuals have already begun sewing masks for HHHS or for other hospitals that have put out the call.  SIRCH wants to take it one step further and make masks available to Haliburton County residents who may benefit.

“HHHS has first dibs, of course, on any masks received by SIRCH” said Gena Robertson, Executive Director of SIRCH.  “But we hope we receive many thousands so they are available to give to cashiers, delivery people, tenants in social housing, people in food services, anyone caring for someone with Covid-19. “

SIRCH will act as a central clearing house:

  • Community members sew masks to the specifications outlined below
  • They drop clean masks in the bin outside SIRCH Central (2 Victoria Street in Haliburton) (or SIRCH will find someone to pick them up)
  • Masks will be re-cleaned and sanitized by HHHS, then returned to SIRCH
  • SIRCH volunteers will bag the masks individually, using protective gear to avoid contamination
  • Bags will have a label with instructions for wearing and washing instructions
  • Masks will be distributed to businesses, organizations and residents who request them.

“This is a terrific idea and of course could benefit so many in the county, exclaimed Lisa Tompkins, Executive Director of Haliburton Highlands Health Services Foundation. “We’d be very happy to support SIRCH’s coordination of this initiative overall and going forward.”

Masks need to meet the following specifications:

  • Double fabric, pleated mask design, ideally with dark polyester (or 100% cotton) outside, and 100% lighter-coloured cotton inside. It is requested that cotton fabric is pre-washed (to allow for any shrinkage).
  • Elastic ear loops or cloth ties

It’s important that a homemade mask be moisture-resistant, washable and washed regularly. That’s why most do-it-yourselfers are using cotton T-shirts or cotton sheets.

Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, Dr.Teresa Tam, has said that non medical masks (e.g. homemade face masks) may stop you from touching your mouth and nose and could help cover your cough if you are ill or have early symptoms of Covid-19.  But it can’t be an excuse to ignore measures such as hand washing, social distancing and self-isolation. Mask-wearing must be complementary to, not a substitute for, other actions.

Barb Fawcett, President of SIRCH and a talented weaver and seamstress, offers step-by-step instructions for making a mask here (CLICK ON IMAGE)

There are also instructions from the Michael Garron Hospital.

Drop your clean masks in the bin outside SIRCH Central, 2 Victoria Street, Haliburton any weekday between 9 and 4, and on weekends between 11 and 2.

Together we can do a lot!

SIRCH offers free frozen meals during COVID-19 global pandemic

At this unprecedented time, SIRCH Community Services is putting its resources and energies into providing healthy meals for any one who is struggling to provide for themselves and their families.

For many years, SIRCH’s Community Kitchen has made frozen meals for distribution to local food banks and community agencies. Starting this week, we are gearing up to more than triple the regular amount made.

You can ask for SIRCH meals at the food banks, and starting on Saturday, March 28, 2020, you can get take-out frozen meals directly from SIRCH Central. SIRCH Central will open every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2 Victoria Street in Haliburton (next to the laundromat).

We will be using social distancing protocols to help keep people safe. We prepare and package the meals under the very strict COVID-19 protocols to ensure meals are prepared in compliance with the latest food-handling and sanitation guidelines. No one will be allowed inside the building. The meals will be put into bags and brought out to you.

All of our frozen meals are free. SIRCH wants to support as many people as possible, so please ask for just what you will use over a weekend and leave some for your neighbours.

Each frozen meal comes with heating instructions and a nutritional label. Some meals are suitable for diabetics or others with special diets. Local produce is used whenever possible and groceries are purchased locally.

SIRCH has no base funding for this free food program—it relies on donations from individuals, organizations, churches and businesses. If you are able, your financial support is needed!

Donate what you can:

  • Online at www.sirch.on.ca/donate with Visa or MasterCard
  • By phoning 705-457-1742 with Visa or MasterCard
  • By cheque, mailed to SIRCH Community Services, Box 687, Haliburton, ON K0M 1S0
  • Via e-transfer to stacy_mclean@sirch.on.ca – send password in a separate email

Please help keep Haliburton County fed. In the end, we will be a stronger community if we band together and look after each other.

Will You Help Us Help Others?

Donate now!

Like SIRCH, you are concerned about your neighbours in Haliburton County.

You want to help those most affected by lay-offs, social distancing, self-quarantine and loss of financial security, but it’s risky to do practical things and you’re not sure where to start.

SIRCH has a simple way you can have an immediate impact on those who need help in Haliburton County during the COVID-19 crisis.

Up until now, SIRCH has been making 400 meals per month and distributing them free through food banks, Ontario Works and other organizations in Haliburton County.

Now with the coronavirus, the demand for healthy, prepared meals has drastically increased.

Why?

  • Hundreds of people have suddenly been laid off
  • One-third of our residents are seniors
  • Haliburton already has a 23% child poverty rate
  • We have the second highest cost of living in Ontario
  • Many will not be eligible for EI or other benefits

Prepared meals are essential for those with disabilities, anxiety, lack of cooking skills or resources, and for those who are ill, homeless and elderly. The food banks will do their best, but for many families this may not meet the need in this increasingly urgent situation.

During the pandemic and until our community is back on its feet, our goal is to increase the number of prepared meals from 400 to 1,400 meals each month.

We can do it, but we need your help.

SIRCH has no base funding for this free food program – it relies on donations from individuals, organizations, churches and businesses.

It costs SIRCH about $4 to make one healthy meal. Each comes with heating instructions and a nutritional label. Some meals are suitable for diabetics or others with special diets. Local produce is used whenever possible and groceries are purchased locally.

Please help keep Haliburton County fed.

With your help, SIRCH can meet the COVID-19 challenge: $5,600 per month for 6 months is needed.

Donate what you can:

  • Visa or MasterCard – give monthly or one-time. Call in with your card at 705-457-1742 or donate online at www.sirch.on.ca/donate
  • Via e-transfer to stacy_mclean@sirch.on.ca – send a separate email with your contact information (name, phone, address, postal code) so we can issue you a charitable tax receipt
  • By cheque, which can be mailed to SIRCH Community Services, Box 687, Haliburton, ON K0M 1S0

We can get through this.

In the end, we will be a stronger community if we band together and look after each other.

Sometimes our light goes out, but is blown again into instant flame by an encounter with another human being.”
~ Albert Schweitzer

Some thoughts during anxious times

Our newest staff person, Barb Smith-Morrison, who has joined our CAPC/CPNP team as Regional Liaison, shared some tweets by Emily M. D. Scott. Some of Emily’s points are particularly helpful, especially in times like this when community anxiety is mounting.

Here are just a few of her suggestions:

Your brain won’t work as well.
This week I’ve forgotten what I was doing a thousand times. Stress messes with your sequencing, and ordering your thoughts gets hard. Try to do one thing at a time.

Savor the sweet spots.
It might be snuggling down under the covers when you first wake up or a cup of tea each night, but linger in the moments that give you comfort as long as you can.

Adapt and pivot.
Be as nimble as you can. We’re in a world that looks very different, and our organizations will need to shift to meet new needs. If you’re part of an organization that has a structure set up to serve others, how can that structure reach the most vulnerable, right now?

Trauma will emerge.
I’ve noticed my body and mind shutting down this week, or my emotions racing out ahead of me. We can expect past traumas or current traumas to influence our days. Notice the signals your body’s sending you, and plan in time and energy for this.

Rituals and structures of self care are key.
Meditation at the beginning and end of the day. A long walk. A regular talk with a dear friend. Set up structures that will hold you through this time.

You’re not God.
If you’re the kind who thinks you have to rescue the whole world, remember that we’re in this together… there are people working for good in every setting — hospitals, libraries, schools, grocery stores. You can trust them to do their job, while you do yours.

Update on Cook It Up during COVID-19 global pandemic

Update #3: March 23, 2020

At SIRCH, we continue to monitor our programs closely and to provide the most essential programs in the safest possible way. It is truly inspiring to see how our staff, other organizations and the community in general is rallying to help and support this community.

We still are faced with hard choices. At this time we have had to make the decision to suspend the Cook It Up training program until further notice. We have 11 motivated and enthusiastic trainees, and we know that their hope was that we could find a way to continue training while maintaining the safety and health standards that dictate our current climate. Unfortunately, we have been unable to find that compromise, and effective today, the Cook It Up training program will go on hold.

Over the next while, until the Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge District Health Unit and Public Health Agency of Canada deem it safe to lessen some of the restrictions around social distancing and social isolation, we will be looking at how we might revise the Cook It Up program so that when we are able to resume training, we can provide more intensive classes that will allow trainees to complete their training in a much shorter period of time with the same quality of outcome. Obviously that depends upon many factors.

We will have further updates about our free Community Kitchen meals in the coming days.