Baked goods back on the table at Nord-Bridge fall sale

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on October 25, 2023.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

Nord-Bridge Senior Centre’s annual Fall Craft and Bake sale took place over the weekend, with the return of baked goods for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Program coordinator Ashley Kern told the Herald Saturday more than 200 people attended the event with many attending first thing in the morning to purchase baked goods.
“We ran out. Usually we have a little bit more baked goods donated by the community, but since COVID, 2019 was actually the last time we did our bake sale. We did a craft sale last year but we decided not to do the bake sale, so this is the first year we’ve done the bake sale in conjunction with the craft sale since 2019, which is really nice because that’s always the most popular part of our sale, the food portion,” said Kern.
She said that even though many came in for the baked goods, and they were sold out by 1 p.m. people stayed to browse through the multiple craft booths.
 “We had everything from paintings to little dish scrubbies, to anything you need for Halloween or Christmas and craft items,” said Kern.
Kern said the proceeds from the event would go towards their outreach programs, which aim to provide an opportunity to those who are unable to visit the centre on a regular basis to enjoy a day of activities.
“We have an outreach program here that helps people that are isolated in the community, that might live in the senior centre and can’t come to us. We have a once-a-month outreach program that we offer where we have music, entertainment and prizes, and to cover the costs of that we have fundraisers like this, as we are a not-for-profit,” said Kern.
 She said the outreach program is for seniors in the community who might live alone and no longer drive, those who might live in an assisted living facility and want to get out and socialize for a day, listen to some music and perhaps dance.
 Kern said the program provides transportation to and from the centre, food and entertainment and those costs are covered by funds collected through fundraisers such as their annual bake and craft sale.
 
When it comes to their event’s attendance, Kern said around 200 people took part, which is fewer than previous events prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but slightly higher than last year’s without the baking portion.
 “Before COVID hit we were getting around 300 and some people coming to the event, so we’re getting back up there, but I think a lot of people with this time of the season are a little antsy with going out still, so I think by next year we’ll be back to where we were before,” said Kern.
The next event for Nord-Bridge Seniors Centre will take place at the end of November, with a health fair put on by University of Lethbridge nursing students as part of their practicum.

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