Good Food Club: Great Produce, Low Price

Staff members of the Vera Bracken Library have coordinated distribution of produce for the Medicine Hat Good Food Club for the past several years. The club is an initiative of the Community Food Connections Association, whose stated goal is to improve "the quality of life for everyone and believe healthy food is a right and not a privilege."

WHAT IS IT?

With 220+ members currently in the club, the group is able to purchase top-quality fresh fruits and vegetables at wholesale prices through the power of bulk buying. The Good Food Club is available for faculty, staff, and students at Medicine Hat College.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Faculty and staff:

• $30/year for non-volunteers
• $10/year for volunteers with the Good Food Club

Students:

• FREE

Each month you choose the size of box you would like. The boxes are valued at: $10, $15, or $20 (this is in addition to the annual membership fee). Payment is due before the last Tuesday of each month.

WHEN DO I PICK UP THE PRODUCE?

Delivery is on the 2nd Tuesday of each month.

HOW TO JOIN

To join the club, please contact Barb Banasch or Valarie Westers of the Vera Bracken Library—they proudly organize this endeavour at the college. You can visit them in-person in the Vera Bracken Library or reach them by telephone at: 403.529.3867.

MONTHLY PRIZE DRAW

Even if you do not join the club, you still have opportunities to benefit from the club. Library Services will have a prize draw for a food box each month. The draw can be entered during the week prior to the boxes' delivery to the Vera Bracken Library.

If you are a member of the community and want to join the club, discover other pick-up locations, or want to read the full guidelines, please visit the "Initiatives" page of the Community Food Connections Association for more details.

The Community Food Connections Association and Library Services, working to develop healthy bodies and minds!

---

Pictured (l-r): Large, medium, and small produce boxes' contents.

 

One Book One Community 2011: Book Suggestions Needed!

The One Book One Community committee of Medicine Hat is busy preparing for its 7th annual event to be held in October 2011 and they need your help! For each event, OBOC chooses a book to be read by all of Medicine Hat from suggestions made by the community.

Throughout February 2011, you can submit your suggestions via an online suggestion form. You can also submit your suggestions in person at Coles The Book People (in the Medicine Hat Mall), the Medicine Hat Public Library, and the Vera Bracken Library (Medicine Hat College).

Your suggestions can be either fiction or nonfiction, but must be:

(a) Canadian,

(b) available in paperback format, and

(c) substantial enough to generate discussion and debate.

For more about information about OBOC, visit their website at http://obocmh.ca. You can keep up-to-date with the latest OBOC news by subscribing to their blog or joining their Facebook page.

Please contact Leigh Cunningham at 403.504.3654 or obocmh@gmail.com for any additional information.

Medicine Hat College Library Services is a proud sponsor of One Book One Community.

Library Services' Staff SPCA Drive

As we moved into the season for giving, the staff of Library Services decided to give to our oft forgotten friends of the four-legged variety. The staff donated cat and dog food/treats, cat litter, and a play tunnel. In addition to food and play items, an additional $25 in cash was raised for the Medicine Hat SPCA.

We encourage anyone concern with animal welfare to visit the Medicine Hat SPCA's website to discover more about this organization.

Dr. Noorali Bharwani Speaking Engagement - Tuesday, October 26th

Please join us in the Vera Bracken Library's southwest lounge for a reading by Dr. Noorali Bharwani from his book A Doctor's Journey: An Emotional and Humorous Look at Life Through the Eyes of a Doctor on Tuesday, October 26th at 12:00 p.m.

Dr. Bharwani is a general surgeon based in Medicine Hat and his book chronicles his life on four different continents. It is with an emotional and humourous flair that he recounts the ups and downs that he has faced in his personal and professional life.

To discover more about Dr. Bharwani, please visit his book's web page at: http://nbharwani.com/a-doctors-journey. The Vera Bracken Library does have a copy of his book available in its collection (Circulating Collection Call Number: R 154 B42 A3 2006).

This event is hosted by Library Services as part of Canadian Library Month: Opening Doors to the Future.

One Book One Community Begins Search for 2008 Book Selection

The One Book One Community committee needs your help to determine what book to focus on for the fourth annual citywide read. It should be Canadian, available in paperback, and substantial enough to generate discussion and debate.

From now until the end of May, readers can suggest books by using the online suggestion form (http://www.mhc.ab.ca/library/oboc/oboc.html) or printed forms available at the Vera Bracken Library or the Medicine Hat Public Library.

The One Book One Community 2008 book will be chosen from the suggested titles and announced in the fall. Events will take place 1-2 February 2008 at Medicine Hat College.

Click here for more information about One Book One Community.

Library Staff Fundraise for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Medicine Hat

Over the past weekend, the Library Lofters (our bowling team) participated in the annual Big Brothers Big Sisters of Medicine Hat's Bowl for Kids' Sake charity. To that end, the Lofters raised nearly $300 for the event.

Thanks to Sheila Drummond, Lilian Li, Carly Ridgewell, Anne Scott, and Keith Walker - the Library Lofters - for their fundraising efforts.

If you want to contribute to the Big Brother Big Sisters of Medicine Hat, please visit their website by clicking here.

We have a winner!

Library Services is pleased to announce that Micheala Harty of Etzikom, Alberta was the winner of the 1 GB flash drive draw that was held during the college's Open House. She was one of many potential students and community members that participated in Medicine Hat College's annual Open House event that was held February 1st.

Thanks to everyone who came out (despite the -22°C evening) and participated.

Where the heck is Etzikom (relative to Medicine Hat)?:












Satellite image of Etzikom (click to enlarge):

One Book One Community Events Begin

Medicine Hat's One Book One Community events begin on February 2nd and run until the 3rd. You can read more about this organization and it events by clicking here.

Library Services is a proud sponsor of this community event.