First-ever festival brings maple treats to Georgian College
Event Management Students at Georgian College organized its first-ever Sweet Maple Festival as a class assignment.
The College welcomed hundreds of community members to the day-long event, with the goal of raising thousands of dollars and a dozen barrels worth of food donations for the Barrie Food Bank and Georgian College Food Locker.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
"I think as students, we all have had experience with people we know requiring some sort of assistance," said Rachel Sedore, an Event Management student and one of the co-organizers. "So we really wanted to give back that way."
The support comes at a critical time for the Barrie Food Bank, which already went through many of its donations from Easter.
"We're heading into our dry season where the food donations don't keep pace with the demand," said Karen Shuh, the Barrie Food Bank's fundraising manager. "This is very important for us to be able to restock the shelves for the summer season."
The Sweet Maple Festival began with a pancake breakfast in the E-building. The savoury crepes were topped with maple syrup that was tapped on campus by students, and they were served by College CEO Kevin Weaver, MP Doug Shipley, and members of the Barrie Police Service.
"More and More people are using the food bank," said Shipley. "We need to support them, which in turn supports our members of our community as much as we can."
Shipley and Barrie Police Chief Rich Johnston were delighted to put smiles on so many faces.
"This is a small way of helping those who aren't as fortunate," stated Johnston. "We all play a small part."
The festival also featured a local vendor market in the N-Building. Over 35 local vendors showcased their handmade art and offered homemade sweets and treats.
"It really shows what the college is all about," said Eve-Ann Rolfe, a Georgian College student and one of the art vendors. "It broadcasts our values and what we want to uphold as we learn here."
The Sweet Maple Festival is Georgian College's last major community event of the semester. Students and staff are hoping to make it an annual event in the future.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Suspect sought after fatal slashing in downtown Toronto
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man was slashed in downtown Toronto on Sunday.
Mother's Day movies that pull at ALL the heartstrings
This Mother's Day Weekend, take a look at some of the most emotional movies inspired by moms.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
Wildfire near Fort McMurray more than triples overnight, several evacuation alerts remain in place
The fire burning near Fort McMurray grew from 25 hectares to 5,500 hectares over the weekend.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.