Our services have always been focused on the essentials. From transportation to food to key life skills, there are some things that we all need to live well in Nova Scotia.
Healthcare has shot into the forefront this year as we have battled against COVID-19. Just recently, we received additional funding to allow us to offer $5 trips for those receiving their COVID-19 vaccine. Please visit our website for more information.
As the years go by, there will be an ever increasing need in our province is access to transportation for medical purposes. Every week, we transport individuals to doctor’s offices, clinics and hospitals to help them access our healthcare system. We currently have donations to subsidize these trips for individuals in financial need, but this money is limited and it will not last forever.
As we move forward, keep us in mind when you have funds to give. Fundraisers, signing up as a corporate member ($50/business) and donating at events are all great ways to help us keep our services strong. Thanks for helping us help our community.
While our Senior Transportation Program has been extended until the end of April 2021, we have gained access to another fund to support affordable transportation. The Fare Assistance Program is open to anyone who is low income or faces financial barriers to access transportation.
The East Hants Family Resource Centre has got another free lunches at the Elmsdale Legion. This time, it’s FREE Chili on Wednesday, April 14th from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. These meals are open to everyone and are there to reduce barriers to fresh and healthy food in our community. If you or someone you know could use a pick-me-up, mark it down on your calendar.
Take out or delivery options are available. Take out is first come, first serve, drive-thru style in front of the legion. Delivery is booked at least one day in advance through the East Hants & Area Community Rider: call 902-883-4716 to book your delivery. We recommend you use the drive-thru if you can – this allows us to get lunch to those that need it most more quickly.
We’ve been lucky to have a range of donors and funders for these meals. Thank you to:
However, our greatest supporter has been our community. The numbers of people coming out have been phenomenal. We’re also blown away by the generosity of donors. These donations will help us keep meals like this going after our funding has run out. Thanks for inspiring us to keep making meals and feeding those who need it most.To find out more about the Elmsdale Community Garden and our programs, check out our website.
Canva Training through East Hants Chamber of Commerce
There’s still a great deal of folks experiencing isolation due to the pandemic. As a result, we have to be creative with the ways we connect with others. Whether through Facebook, phone, e-mail or the post, every interaction counts.
Canva is my go-to tool when creating a colourful picture, poster or card. If you’re interested in designing content personally or professionally, this is a great resource to become familiar with. It’s free and user-friendly, and there’s an upcoming session on Wednesday, April 14th at 10 a.m. through East Hants & Districts Chamber of Commerce to help you learn the ropes. This is a free session facilitated by Alison Smith of Dandelion Digital.
We’ve recently been able to get new, home-cooked meals stocked in the Elmsdale Community Garden’s Community Freezer. This is a free source of frozen food, available to anyone in the community. Meals are available for pick-up by appointment at our office (224 Highway 214 in Elmsdale) or delivery through the East Hants & Area Community Rider.
If you or someone you know needs a pick-me-up, or simply a change from the same old recipes, give us a call at 902-883-4716 between 8 AM and 2 PM on weekdays and we’ll set aside some delicious food.
For more information on the Community Freezer, check out our Facebook page.
Medical Transportation Program
Transportation can be just as expensive as treatment in our medical system. We at the Community Rider try to keep costs as affordable as possible, but even then, it can be difficult to cover the costs, especially with monthly or weekly treatments.
Thanks to a generous donation, we are now able to subsidize or cover the costs of transportation for medical services for those that identify a financial need. This subsidy will be available until the donation has been used up.
To help extend the life of the subsidy, we encourage passengers to apply for other programs that subsidize travel, as well as pay a small amount per trip if possible. Every dollar counts to help those in need to be able to access the medical services they need.
If you know someone that struggles to find transportation to medical appointments, please get in touch:
e-mail: dispatch@communityrider.com
phone: 902-883-4716
Have you wanted to get back into reading over the pandemic? Often, life gets busy and we forget about the pleasures of a well-written story.
Webcomics are a great way to fit in a bit of quick reading into our lives. These online, free publications are available across a variety of genres. Writers will often release their comics page by page, attract their audience, and later sell their work in volumes through online retailers.
They can offer anything from a laugh of the day to a deeply engaging storyline, split over weeks, months or years. Here are a few of my personal favourites:
Gunnerkrigg Court – A fantasy/sci-fi school to rival Harry Potter for creativity and engaging characters
xkcd – A stick-figure cartoon with humorous takes on science, math and the world at large
Hope you enjoy and pass along any recommendations you have for the months ahead. Fine weather is on the horizon!
