Kudos to the Lower Mainland Green Team for removing invasive plants from Burnaby's Stoney Creek on Sept. 29 in celebration of B.C. Rivers Day.
Thirty-seven volunteers came out to stuff 32 bags with English ivy, laurel and holly, all invasive species that can choke out native plants. The green team, a meet-up group of environmental enthusiasts, also planted 82 native plants. For more on the group, or to get involved, go to www.meetup.com/ The-Lower-Mainland-Green-Team.
B.C. Rivers Day was held on Sept. 30 this year. Burnaby resident Mark Angelo started the annual event to promote awareness about the importance of waterways.
THANKSGIVING DONATIONS
Burnaby residents dug deep in their cupboards to help the B.C. Thanksgiving food drive in September. From Sept. 10 to 15, volunteers collected an estimated 352,000 pounds of donated food from B.C. households. In Burnaby alone, 215 volunteers visited 8,300 homes, collecting more than 8,700 pounds of food for the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society.
"It was great to see how the residents of our communities came forward to support our project," said Andrew Rolfson, executive director of the B.C.
Thanksgiving Food Drive.
"The success can be credited to communities selflessly working together, donating time, talent and means to meet the needs of others. For this, we are truly thankful."
FREE SCREENING
The Burnaby Task Force on Homelessness and two local members of Parliament are sponsoring a free screening of the documentary Poor No More at Simon Fraser University on Tuesday, Oct. 9. The film, hosted by Mary Walsh, offers solutions to Canada's working poor.
The event, co-sponsored by the task force and local MPs Kennedy Stewart and Peter Julian, is from 4: 30 to 6: 30 p.m. in the room AQ4150, and admission is free. There will also be free food.
For more information, call 604-317-8114.
TERRY FOX WALK
Students at Burnaby's St. Francis de Sales raised $731 for the Terry Fox Foundation in September. Each student was asked to bring a toonie or more to donate to the cause, and they walked either in the gym or along a path close to the school.
Parent volunteers helped the students cross Kingsway.
"We've had a number of staff members affected by cancer, so I think that's a motivation," said principal Irene Wihak. St. Francis de Sales is an independent Catholic school in the Metrotown area.
DATE CORRECTION
In my last column, I mentioned the Oct. 4 history event put on by the Burnaby Heights Neighbourhood Association.
The date was correct, but Oct. 4 was on a Thursday, not a Saturday, as I mentioned in my column, so apologies for the confusion.
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