A local non-profit organization, Vintage Iron and Traditions of Eastern Ontario, has joined the long list of area residents, businesses, and organizations who have made donations to the House of Lazarus in the weeks following a devastating fire at its South Mountain food bank.
Members of the Vintage Iron organization did some fundraising to support House of Lazarus, which in turn supports those in need through food banks, thrift stores, and other programs. The fundraising effort managed to accumulate a total donation of $500.
Three representatives of Vintage Iron came to the new House of Lazarus Food Bank location at 10506 Clark Road in Mountain on June 22. There, they formally made their donation, supporting countless people in need in our community.
The former House of Lazarus Food Bank location, housed in the old Scotiabank building on Main Street in South Mountain, was severely damaged by fire on April 25. The building remains standing, but the interior of the building is unusable, and a significant amount of food was destroyed. Due to an outpouring of support, the charity was back to supporting those in need a few short days after the fire. A temporary location was offered by the Mountain and District Lions Club, and a longer term location in Mountain was offered by Willis Kerr a short while later. So many people and businesses donated to House of Lazarus in the aftermath of the fire that it would be impractical to attempt to list them all – a prime example of a community “helping its helpers”.
Vintage Iron and Traditions has 160 members across Eastern Ontario. As stated on their website, the organization is “dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of our rural life.” In addition to the important work the organization does when it comes to preserving knowledge, artifacts, and history, its members also recognize the importance of giving back to the community. One fundraiser that Vintage Iron runs regularly is a toy auction held at the Ottawa Valley Farm Show each year.
“We are grateful for this donation,” said HOL Executive Director Cathy Ashby. It’s not just the House of Lazarus that is grateful, but a whole community of people knowing that their neighbours in need are being taken care of. To learn more about Vintage Iron and Traditions of Eastern Ontario, visit https://vintageiron.ca/. To learn more about the House of Lazarus or to make a donation, visit https://hol.community/.
