Grandmothers-by-the-Lake plant/bake sale

ulie Druker | Jun 04, 2015

Advertising is what attracted John and Alison Turcotte of Bath, first time buyers to the 7th annual Grandmothers-by-the-Lake annual plant and bake sale that took place for the first time at St. Paul's United Church in Harrowsmith on May 31. The couple noticed the ad placed in a Napanee newspaper and said they “love the charity and would definitely return to the sale again next year”. This year's sale by the local Grandmothers group raised over $3,000 for the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign that funds grass roots community-based projects in Africa that support the thousands of African grandmothers and the millions of African children they care for who have been orphaned by the HIV/AIDS pandemic there. The sale is one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for the Grandmothers-by-the-Lake and it has been catching on since its inception seven years ago. Its new venue offers more space to buyers who continue to flock to the sale looking for bargains on a wide variety of plants all donated by members of the group who also offer up a wide assortment of fresh baked goods. Adele Colby who chairs the group said people continue to come year after year because “they love the bargains and the cause”.

New and upcoming for the group this year will be their participation in the annual Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign's Walk called “Stride To Turn the Tide” that will take place on June 6. Members of the group will be obtaining pledges and sponsors for the 5km walk that will take place on a local trail in the area (yet to be determined) in their hopes of another raising $4-$5,000 for the cause. For more information about the walk and to sponsor the walkers, contact Adele Colby at 613-375-8845 or visit the campigns official website at grandmotherscampaign.org.