A group of community-minded volunteers are once again turning the phrase “porch pirate” into a good thing with a Peterborough-wide food drive for Kawartha Food Share on the Halloween weekend.

“Those most vulnerable in our community need our support,” reads a media release from Megan Murphy, one of the organizers of Porch Pirates for Good. “People need to eat, and we cannot abandon them. The shelves at Kawartha Food Share are low again and they need the help of the community to restock.”

As with a spring food drive organized earlier this year by Porch Pirates for Good, which collected a record-breaking 50,000 pounds of food for Kawartha Food Share, the “Trick or Eat” food drive will feature both a business challenge and a community challenge. The goal of the Halloween food drive is to collect another 50,000 pounds of food.

For the business challenge, which runs from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday (October 29), Porch Pirates for Good is asking Peterborough businesses to challenge each other to collect more than 20,000 pounds of non-perishable food items. Interested businesses should register by contacting Susan Dunkley at susan@suzihomemaker.ca or 705-768-7894.

The community challenge takes place on Saturday beginning at 9 a.m., when residents are asked to leave a bag of non-perishable food items on their front porch. Volunteers with Porch Pirates for Good will drive around the city to collect the items and deliver them to the Kawartha Food Share warehouse.

Needed food items include canned tuna, pasta and pasta sauce, breakfast cereal, peanut butter, non-perishable fruit and vegetable items including apple sauce, nut-free granola bars, rice, canned soup or stew, baby formula, and easy-to-cook items that kids like such as mac and cheese. Other needed items include feminine hygiene products and diapers.

Residents are asked to consider wearing a Halloween costume to greet volunteers when they arrive to pick up a donation (volunteers will be wearing face masks).

Anyone who is feeling ill or in isolation because of COVID-19 is asked not to leave a bag of food on their porch. A monetary donation can be made at www.kawarthafoodshare.com. For every dollar donated, Kawartha Food Share can purchase $6 worth of food.

For more information about Porch Pirates for Good and for updates, visit facebook.com/ptboporchpiratesforgood.

Starting today (October 15) and continuing over the weekend, Ontarians can download their new enhanced COVID-19 vaccination certificates.

The enhanced certificate features a QR code businesses and organizations can scan using a verification app, also now available for free on the Google and Apple app stores.

Although the new enhanced certificate system does not go into effect until next Friday (October 22), the Ontario government is making the enhanced vaccination certificates and verification app available in advance to allow people to become familiar with them.

For the first three days, the Ontario government is staggering the ability of Ontarians to download the enhanced certificate from covid19.ontariohealth.ca by their birth month.

“Between October 15 and 17, we are limiting the number of people onto the website to make sure it can handle the increased demand,” the website says.

Those born from January to April can download their certificate on Friday, those born from May to August can download it on Saturday, and those born from September to December can download it on Sunday.

If you don’t have the chance to download your certificate over the weekend, you can visit the website again on Monday (October 18), when anyone can download their certificate regardless of their birth month. People can save the electronic version to their phone or print a paper copy, or they can call the Provincial Vaccine Contact Centre at 1-833-943-3900 to have their enhanced vaccine certificate emailed or mailed to them.

The new verification app for businesses, called Verify Ontario, was released on Google Play and the Apple App Store yesterday.

The app scans the QR code on the enhanced vaccine certificate.

“Verify Ontario gives businesses and organizations a quick, easy and trusted way to scan and confirm that visitors are fully vaccinated,” the app description reads. “After scanning a QR code, the business or organization will see: a green checkmark indicating that it meets vaccine requirements, a red X for an invalid certificate, or a yellow warning indicating that the QR code cannot be read.”

The app will also show the name and date of birth of the holder of the vaccine certificate, so their identity can be verified.

The Verify Ontario app does not require an internet connection to work (other than for periodic updates), but does require permission to a device’s camera to scan the QR code. According to the province, the app never stores personal information and only shows the minimum amount of information necessary to confirm vaccination.

Businesses must accept both electronic and paper versions of the vaccine certificate with a QR code. While the current vaccine receipt without a QR code remains valid and will continue to be accepted, the province is encouraging people to download their enhanced vaccine certificate as an easier, more secure, and convenient way to have their proof of vaccination verified.

Ontarians will need to continue to show a piece of identification with their name and date of birth along with their proof of vaccination when visiting businesses and organizations that require proof of vaccination.

The story has been updated with additional details from the province.

Lesley Heighway, president and CEO of the Peterborough Regional Health Care (PRHC) Foundation, has received international recognition for her contributions to raising funds for healthcare.

Heighway has been awarded with the designation of Fellow of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, an international professional organization dedicated to healthcare philanthropy.

Of the association’s 4,500 members at more than 2,200 healthcare facilities around the world, only two per cent have received the designation, with Heighway being one of three selected in 2021.

“In Lesley’s 10 years as president and CEO, she’s worked tirelessly with donors from across the region to fund the equipment and technology that form the foundation of world-class care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre,” says Linda Skilton, chair of the PRHC Foundation’s board of directors, in a media release.

“Her success is fuelled by a passion for healthcare that has inspired $30 million in donations in the past five years alone. As a champion of innovation, her strategic and visionary leadership has led to incredible advances in patient care, brought new, life-saving services to our region, and helped our hospital attract and retain some of the best and brightest in medicine.”

Candidates for the Fellow of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy must meet rigorous criteria including career success that has had a transformative effect on the organizations they’ve supported, demonstrated leadership, mentorship and community service, and a comprehensive knowledge of healthcare governance and philanthropy.

“Lesley is highly regarded by the Foundation and PRHC boards, hospital staff and leadership, and our donors,” says Peter McLaughlin, PRHC’s president and CEO. “Her record of fundraising success and the impact our Foundation’s donors have had and continue to have on patient care at PRHC speak volumes about her performance, integrity, and professionalism.”

The Ontario SPCA has unveiled its commemorative Animals in War Pin for 2021, featuring a cat as the symbol to honour the wartime contributions of animals.

Cats served as companions during wartime and kept ships free of vermin.

Created by the Ontario SPCA in 2017, the Animals in War pins are designed to be worn alongside a poppy to remember veterans and the animals who bravely served by their side. The collection includes a horse, a dog, a pigeon, and now a cat, as well as a limited-edition pin in honour of the women who have served in Canada’s military.

Throughout history, animals have been used to support war efforts. Mules carried artillery, horses transported troops and hauled field guns, pigeons delivered crucial messages, and dogs have served as messengers, medical assistants, bomb detectors, and search and rescue workers.

This year’s cat pin is available for purchase for $12 at humane societies across Ontario leading up to Remembrance Day (November 11). Funds from the sale of the pin will help provide care for animals in need and, from each pin sold, $1 will be donated to Royal Canadian Legion branches across Ontario to support veterans.

In Peterborough, you can purchase a pin by visiting the Peterborough Humane Society’s shelter at 385 Lansdowne Street East.

“This Remembrance Day, we invite you to proudly wear an Animals in War pin worn alongside your poppy as a reminder of the courage and sacrifice of our veterans and the animals who gave so much for us,” says Shawn Morey, executive director of the Peterborough Humane Society.

You can also order this year’s pin (and previous years’ pins) online at the Ontario SPCA website.

The Peterborough Police Service has released details of its COVID-19 vaccination policy.

The policy, which came into effect last Thursday (October 7), “strongly recommends” — but does not require — that all members of the service be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Members have until November 19 to provide proof of full vaccination or a valid medical exemption. After that date, members who are not fully vaccinated or who have a valid medical exemption will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 rapid antigen test — arranged on their own time and at their own expense — on the first and third day of their shift schedule.

Members who are not fully vaccinated and do not have a valid medical exemption will also be required to participate in an vaccine educational program delivered by the City of Peterborough and complete the program by November 26.

The vaccination policy applies to all sworn, civilian, and auxiliary members as well as volunteers, placement students, contractors, and consultants performing work on behalf of the service or within any police facility.

All members of the service, fully vaccinated or not, will continue to follow public health guidelines while working, including wearing personal protective equipment.

“Our mission is to protect the communities we serve, and this policy shows residents and members that the Peterborough Police Service is committed to doing our part,” says Chief Scott Gilbert.

The vaccination policy was developed in coordination and consultation with the Occupational Health and Safety Committee of the Peterborough Police Service, the Peterborough Police Association, the Senior Officers Association, Peterborough Public Health, the City of Peterborough, legal advisors, and other police services.

You can read the complete policy on the Peterborough Police Service website at peterboroughpolice.com.

A Peterborough woman has launched a crowdfunding campaign so her nephew with cerebral palsy can participate in downhill skiing with his family this winter.

Jacyln Harris is trying to raise money to purchase a sit-ski, a moulded bucket seat suspended above a pair of skis with a shock absorber below the seat.

Harris’ nephew Nico Iemma — who turns 13 this fall — has cerebral palsy, a neurological disability that appears in early childhood and affects a person’s ability to move and maintain balance and posture. For the Oshawa resident, all four of his limbs are affected, requiring him to use a wheelchair.

Nico is a young athlete with a special interest in boccia, a precision ball sport played by athletes with severe physical disabilities. In February, Nico was named ParaSport Ontario’s junior athlete of the year in recognition of his skill at the game.

Nico also enjoys downhill skiing with his family. According to Harris, many of Nico’s family have taken training to drive a sit-ski so Nico to enjoy a day out on the slopes.

Before the pandemic, Nico’s family participated in a program where they had access to a sit-ski for a couple of hours a week.

VIDEo: Nico Iemma is named Parasport junior athlete of the year

However, the program did not run last year and it may not run this year either. Harris is trying to raise $9,000 so the family can purchase a sit-ski for Nico that he can continue to use for years.

Nico’s parents Susan and Patrick, who also have two other young children, cannot afford to purchase the expensive piece of equipment, which costs around $6,300 in U.S. dollars.

“Caring for a child with such physical needs is pricey and Patrick and I try very hard not to let cost effect Nico’s ability to be a kid and be included in all our activities,” Susan writes on her Facebook page.

“With a new power chair on the way and new seating in his regular chair required this fall, the ski is out of our reach,” Susan adds. “We so appreciate those who are willing to help us keep active and not ever leave Nico behind even when it’s a struggle.”

If you’d like to help the Iemma family, you can donate at gofundme.com/f/help-nico-ski-with-his-family.