Spring is just around the corner. For many people, it’s a great time to renovate or declutter. Naturally, during the spring-cleaning process, clearing out the clutter also means deciding what to do with it once it’s ready to leave the home.

Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region wants you to consider bringing your new and gently used items to them. Donations can be made at any of their three ReStore locations (open to the public Monday through Sunday) at 300 Milroy Drive and 550 Braidwood Avenue in Peterborough, and at 55 Angeline Street North in Lindsay.

By donating your household items and building materials to Habitat for Humanity, you’ll be making eco-conscious choices (keeping them out of landfills) while supporting building projects for affordable housing in your community.

Donations for safe, decent, and affordable housing

Making donations to your local ReStore means investing in safe, decent and affordable housing for members of the community who need it most. What can you donate? Almost everything — including the kitchen sink. The Habitat for Humanity ReStore will accept donations of kitchen cabinetry, sinks, toilets, lighting, furniture, building materials, scrap metal, and more.

“When someone is decluttering or renovating, we encourage them to bring any unused or previously loved items to the ReStore,” says Christina Skuce, Director of Philanthropy & Communications with Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region. “We welcome quality new and gently used furniture, home décor, housewares, appliances, DIY and renovation materials, and so much more.”

The ReStore will also accept donations of electronics (working or not), kitchen cabinets, dishes, books, movies, artwork, outdoor furniture, vacuums, and even your new or used car. While they do not take clothing donations, they do offer donation bins on site for one-stop donors.

“To make donating items easier for our customers, so that they can donate all of their items in one location and avoid multiple drop offs, we have clothing and textile donation bins on site that are shared with our other charity partners,” adds Skuce. “We can not accept mattress donations, anything damaged or excessively stained or dirty, and we can’t accept anything with a safety rating on it such as strollers, highchairs, and cribs.”

While mattresses are not accepted, bed frames and headboards in good condition are welcome. Tools, windows, doors, lawn equipment, electrical or plumbing supplies and hardware can also be donated. You can find a complete list of what is and is generally not accepted on the ReStore website at www.habitatpkr.ca/restores.

“If you’re decluttering or remodelling, moving or downsizing, or if it’s just time to renew your space, think ReStore,” says Skuce. “Whenever you donate excess household goods or building materials to a ReStore, you’re helping to support local families and the environment, by enabling the ReStore to recycle perfectly re-usable household items — reducing your environmental footprint.”

“This as an environmentally conscious decision as well as an opportunity to help local families build strength, stability, and self-reliance.”

Large donations for pick up, scrap metal, e-waste and vehicles wanted

For donations to the Restore, size doesn’t matter. If you have items that you’re unable to transport like dishwashers, dryers, or tables, a pickup can be arranged. ReStore staff can come to you to assist with larger items.

You can even enlist the help of Habitat Peterborough’s kitchen removal experts. They will remove your unwanted kitchen cabinetry or pick up your already disassembled cabinetry, free of charge. Donation pickups can be arranged within the City and County of Peterborough and in the City of Kawartha Lakes.

E-waste — waste that is electronic (both functioning and non-functioning items) — can also be useful to the ReStore. Scrap metal is also considered a worthy donation.

Even if something doesn’t work or seems like it cannot be used, it’s worth bringing to the store before dumping in a landfill.

“You can turn your old electronics into homes for Habitat,” explains Skuce. “Don’t dump it, donate it. Maybe it’s an old TV or VCR that doesn’t work or get used anymore, or an old stereo. Our ReStores provide a free recycling program that raises funds to build Habitat homes by collecting your unwanted electronics.”

A new or used vehicle donation is yet one more way that you can support Habitat for Humanity’s work in Peterborough and the Kawartha Region.

Beyond your donation, how to get involved

In addition to donating items to the ReStore, shopping in the store is another way to support Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region. As a Habitat ReStore customer, you’ll never have to pay tax and you’ll always get a great deal. Purchases made in store help to finance ongoing build projects within your community.

“Every purchase in the ReStore creates the opportunity for a better life, and helps local families achieve strength, stability, and self-reliance through affordable homeownership,” Skuce notes. “So by supporting a Habitat ReStore in Peterborough or in Lindsay, you contribute to one of our upcoming or ongoing home building projects.”

“One of our big projects coming up this year will be starting in the spring. We will begin construction of a 41-unit affordable condo building in Peterborough,” Skuce points out.

If you’ve already decluttered and are looking to get involved, volunteers are always welcome. You can help by volunteering in the ReStore to test products, greet customers, stock shelves, and accept donated items. High school students and youth volunteers are also encouraged to get involved.

“Volunteers are the heart of our organization,” says Skuce. “They are involved in every aspect of the organization from the ReStore, to the build site, to the office, to committees and the Board. We would not be able to get more families into decent, affordable homes without the generous support of our volunteers.”

While spring may be a great time to declutter and donate to the ReStore, Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region accepts donations year-round and is always looking for new items to restock their inventory. Don’t be afraid to bring in your new or gently used items any time of year.

“Every donation made to a ReStore helps create the opportunity for a local family to build a better life,” says Skuce. “All proceeds stay local and are invested into building safe, decent and affordable homes in the City and County of Peterborough and the City of Kawartha Lakes.”

To make your donation today, visit your local ReStore Monday to Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. or Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information about Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region, including volunteer opportunities, visit www.habitatpkr.ca.

ReStore locations

View a larger version of this map.

This story was created in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Peterborough & Kawartha Region.

We are still be in the depths of winter, but parents and guardians are already making summer plans and registering children for camps.

Whether or not you attended a summer camp as a child, recent research shows that there are clear developmental benefits to attending summer camp. In 2010, the Canadian Camping Association and the University of Waterloo undertook the Canadian Summer Camp Research Project. This project was the first of its scope in Canada to study the positive growth and development of children in summer camps.

Researchers considered five benefits: socialization, being more active, building empathy, developing self-confidence, and increasing environmental awareness.

To help with your planning for this summer, here is an overview of these benefits, including some tips about preparing for camp and choosing the right camp for your child.

Socialization

Summer camp provides an immersive environment for children to make new friends and develop their social skills.

To support positive social development at camp, both parents and counsellors need to prepare for the first day at camp. Children may feel excited and slightly outside their comfort zones as they say goodbye to their parents, meet a bunch of new friends, and get introduced to their counsellors and the camp environment.

The introduction to the camp should be welcoming and comfortable so that all this excitement encourages the development of social skills rather than unhealthy stress or anxiety.

A solid counsellor training program provides counsellors with a toolkit of activities, games, and techniques to ensure all campers feel at home in their new environment.

Parents may consider talking in advance about any questions or concerns their children may have. Parents can also reach out in advance to camp directors about the first day at camp to ask about supports and answer questions for nervous campers.

Being more active

One of the top benefits of summer camp is that it encourages activity and counteracts our increasingly sedentary lifestyle.

Two recent studies from Statistics Canada show that children are spending more time with digital devices and less time getting their daily dose of physical activity. Video games, social media, and a lack of free time all conspire to prevent most children from getting the recommended one hour of exercise per day they need for healthy development.

When selecting a summer camp, the choice and variety of activities can be important. Combinations of formal and informal games help keep campers active for much of the day.

When selecting a camp, parents can ask if campers will have a range of activity choices or not. Some children, for example, prefer individual sports to team sports. If you think your child will benefit from a range of options, try to find a camp that offers them a choice of activities.

As you consider camps, ask about their electronics policy. Some camps have a ban on electronics, which ensures that campers will be more engaged both with the activities and with their fellow campers.

Building empathy

Many camps highlight the advancement of hard skills such as canoeing, archery, chess, computer coding, dance, and others. Soft skills, however, are equally important and often not as easy to demonstrate or build.

Summer camp is a great opportunity to build soft skills. Camps can offer immersive experiences in which campers learn how to process their emotions and watch as their new friends do the same.

Counsellors are key facilitators in the development of soft skills. Many counsellors are masterful at providing an open space for discussions.

Ending the day with a check-in, for example, gives campers a chance to share the positives and negatives of their day. Sharing and listening to how other campers are feeling can develop self-aware campers who can relate to others emotionally.

When selecting a camp, consider that low camper-to-counsellor ratios support these deeper connections and the development of soft skills.

Developing self-confidence

Failure can be a valuable learning experience. Yes, that’s right: experiencing failure in supportive environments can be a positive and transformative experience.

Many activities at camp are designed to have campers learn from failure. Performing a skit, putting up a tent, or crawling through mud are all opportunities to try new activities and learn from failure. When campers are allowed to fail, they can feel empowered to try out a new tactic.

Camp is also an opportunity for students to shift gears after a full year of school. I have seen campers arrive at camp feeling down after a tough school year. Only one week later, these campers returned home inspired by the change in environment and a new sense of freedom in their learning.

Increasing environmental awareness

Youth today are growing up between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, youth are bombarded by news of the climate crisis and, on the other hand, youth often suffer from a lack of connection with the natural world.

A recent study found that this combination can contribute to anxiety and depression in ways that impact youth more than adults.

One of the solutions to this is to spend more time in nature. Spending time amongst trees and natural spaces can heal us, and education about our natural environment can empower us to protect our natural world.

Many camps provide the opportunity for campers to immerse themselves in the outdoors. This allows for a deeper connection to the natural world. For some campers this may be their first time in a mostly green space.

Even in urban areas, camps are able to provide an opportunity for children to participate with the natural world.

In the Peterborough area, Camp Kawartha, TRACKS, and GreenUP all offer programs that focus on nature connection and awareness.

You can register for GreenUP’s Earth Adventure’s Summer Camp at www.greenup.on.ca/ecology-park/childrens-programs/.

Summer camp is far more than just somewhere to put the kids when school is out. Summer camps provide social, emotional, and confidence-building experiences, as well as essential physical activity and environmental awareness.

With registration now open and quickly filling up for many camps, this is the time to consider which camp is right. I hope you and your children are as excited about summer camp as I am this year.

This month, food writer Eva Fisher discovers a new Vietnamese restaurant and oyster bar coming to downtown Peterborough, touches base with Lakefield’s newest classic diner, learns about a cooking class that builds skills and community, and feasts in distinctly Trent Hills fashion with the Incredible Edibles Festival.

Vietnamese kitchen and oyster bar Hanoi House set to open on Hunter Street

Hanoi House (213 Hunter St W, Peterborough, 705-775-5888), a new Vietnamese kitchen and oyster bar, will open later this month. Owner Susan Tung is looking to create authentic, fresh, and accessible Vietnamese cuisine.

“It’s going to be authentic Vietnamese food that people will want to come eat on a regular basis.”

Susan previously owned and ran The Golden Wheel (6725 Highway 7, Peterborough, 705-749-6838) with her parents Mei and Patrick Tung. After selling The Golden Wheel two years ago, Susan found herself wanting to get back into the business.

“When you’re a business owner, it’s really hard to not be a business owner any more.”

Her decision to open a Vietnamese restaurant came from her own love of Vietnamese food.

“I’m Chinese but Vietnamese food is my passion. The flavours … it’s super healthy … I feel like I was supposed to be Vietnamese in another life.”

Hanoi House will soft launch in mid-February with a menu of vermicelli noodle bowls, broken rice bowls, and pho. There will be a plain beef pho, but you can also opt for more authentic ingredients like tripe, beef meatballs, and tendon.

The grand opening will be in mid-March, at which point they will also offer a daily menu of oysters.

For updates, visit Hanoi House on Facebook.

Shakers Diner shakes up Lakefield

Mother-and-daughter team Lynne and Rebecca Shakespear reopened their classic diner, Shakers Diner, in Lakefield on January 30th.

Lynne and Rebecca ran Shakers in Bobcaygeon for four years, but when the building went up for sale, they decided to make the move to Lakefield (98 Queen St, Lakefield, 705-651-6608).

The menu will be the same as it was in Bobcaygeon, which Rebecca says is the culmination of years of work in the industry.

“We’ve been in restaurants — working, not owning — for years now. It was a conglomeration of all of the menus we’ve worked with. We’ve put everything we liked into one.”

For breakfast, Rebecca recommends the Breakfast Bowl, a scramble of three eggs with onions, sweet peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach, topped with a three-cheese blend.

Their most popular offering is the club sandwich, made the classic way with cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce, white meat turkey, mayonnaise and three slices of bread, cut into quarters.

There’s even fried bologna: the “Down Eastern” comes with two eggs, fried bologna, and calico beans.

Processed meat is the exception, not the rule on this menu.

“We roast our beef and turkey in-house, we don’t use deli meat or anything like that — it’s all real meat. We use real potatoes for home fries; we fry them on the grill with onions. We’re trying to keep things fresh and stay away from the processed as much as we can. It’s just simple home cooked food.”

For more information, visit Shakers Diner on Facebook.

Active Together cooking classes bring people together over food

The Council for Persons with Disabilities Active Together Program is offering a series of cooking classes for those looking to expand their skills in the kitchen.

Active Together coordinator Lynda Todd and Chef Elaine McCarthy will run classes every Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. from April 17th to May 8th at the Peterborough Public Health (185 King St., Peterborough).

Participants can expect to learn to prepare a variety of healthy dishes, with classes covering vegetarian, beef, fish, and chicken dishes.

The classes are open to anyone over the age of 18 who self-identifies as living with a disability.

“That’s a very broad category.” Lynda explains. “People don’t have to disclose to us. There’s no form to fill in and disclose what your disability is. Disability could be someone who’s in a wheelchair to someone who’s going through depression. We don’t ask. Anyone who wants to show up and join in, they’re more than welcome.”

Lynda says that cooking classes are a great way to build community.

“Our whole society is about people getting together and eating. This isn’t even just about showing people how to cook healthy meals, it’s about bringing people together.”

Lynda encourages everyone to come and give it a try, even if you’re feeling nervous about the idea of taking a cooking class

“Many people come and they’re very shy or they’re feeling insecure about their disability and if they’ll be able to do things. It’s nice to see the progression of how people come out of their shell and gain confidence in being able to do something that they haven’t necessarily done before. It is very exciting to see the accomplishment that people feel and the friendships that develop. That’s really what it’s all about.”

These classes are free to attend, and participants will leave with a $10 grocery store gift certificate. To register, email Lynda at lyndatodd2012@gmail.com or call 705-760-4899.

Eating in season with Campbellford’s Incredible Edibles Festival

Do you have a case of the winter food blahs? Campbellford’s Incredible Edibles Festival is presenting the perfect antidote.

“Eating in Season: A Mid-Winter’s Feast” will bring some of the region’s top chefs to the Campbellford Curling Club (381 Front St. N., Campbellford, 705-653-4433) for an evening celebrating local food. The feast will take place on Saturday, February 29th from 6 to 10 p.m.

Incredible Edibles Festival chair and coordinator Amanda Solmes says that this event marks a new direction for the festival.

“The Incredible Edibles is really looking this year to focus more on showcasing our farmers and bringing the entire food system together.”

Farming is an important part of the history and culture of Trent Hills, and the festival wants to honour that.

“We’ve traditionally been a farming community since the time that Trent Hills was settled and we want to bring that to the forefront, showcase that to our visitors, and bring the community together as well.”

The ingredients for the feast are all being sourced from local farms, and will include rabbit and beef cheek freshly butchered, lettuce grown indoors in Warkworth, frozen berries, root vegetables, and Empire Cheese.

“The farthest away from us is just outside of Port Hope.”

An impressive lineup of chefs is slated to cater the event, including Doug Hope from Sper Food & Farm in Warkworth, Ron Csenar (the original owner of Capers in Campbellford), Melissa Smeets from Melly Rolls, Mike Metcalf (the chef and owner of McGillicafey’s Pub and Eatery), and Jackie Bloom (the new owner of Banjo’s Grill in Hastings).

“They’re definitely our top chefs around the area,” Amanda notes.

Linda and Tony Armstrong of Headwaters Community Farm will speak at the event. Tickets are $60 and are available online at eventbrite.ca/e/eating-in-season-a-mid-winters-feast-tickets-91539937417.

The event is a fundraiser for the Incredible Edibles Festival itself takes place in downtown Campbellford from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 11th. For more information, visit incredibleediblesfestival.com.