Good Morning!

The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading to my neck of the woods for three days of training camp. I’ll be around the Falls this afternoon and at the rink on Sunday, as my oldest son’s hockey league was invited to do on-ice workouts at Leafs camp. Pretty exciting stuff for the kids.

It’s also a big day for hockey fans as NHL18 becomes available, and boy would I like to tell you all how great that game is, but gosh darn it I don’t have a copy! [hint to any EA execs reading this]

It’s going to be a fun day full of news and all that jazz, cuts are coming Sunday! Before we get to the links, I have a request to make. If you follow me on twitter, you know I was laid off a couple weeks ago. While I’ve had time off I started working at my local food bank, Community Care St.Catharines & Thorold. It was a really busy couple of weeks as back to school is a time of need for many families, and there was a big backpack and shoes drive for kids leading up to the start of the school year. Community Care is a larger organization than a food bank; they provide clothing, housing assistance, and financial help (sorting bills, budgeting, etc..) to those who need it.

Along with that push there was an abundance of food donations, and that’s the part of the services I’ve been helping with. I work once a week in the ‘grocery store’ helping clients pick out their food for the week and another shift on the truck picking up donations from local businesses and grocery stores.

I’ve learned a lot about what is needed most, and what people request. If you have a garden at home, and have more than you can eat or preserve, fresh produce is always welcomed and goes out the door with clients the day it arrives.

The most needed items you can donate are:

Peanut butter
Canned meats (Fish, ham, & chicken)
Canned Fruits/Vegetables
Juice boxes and Large Juice (real juice)
Nut free granola bars
Crackers - snack (Ritz), soup, those are popular.
Baby Formula & Cereal, Diapers – Sizes 4, 5, 6 and Pull-ups (The older kids are usually forgotten)
Shampoos, toothbrushes, personal items, toilet paper, feminine products

It’s not a time of year that many companies do big public food drives, but the bins are always at your supermarket. Thanksgiving, Christmas get all the attention, but those in between months are very important. Let’s all look out for one another.

Thanks for reading, and now, your links.

Tempering Our Toronto Maple Leafs Expectations for 2017-18 - Last Word on Leafs

Mike Babcock: “Being a Leaf is a special, special thing now again” - MLHS

Gerard Gallant keeps expectations realistic for Golden Knights - Knights on Ice

Five one-team stars who went down with the ship - Down Goes Brown

Bryan Little signs contract extension - Arctic Ice Hockey

New Podcast: Beyond The Blade - Die By the Blade debuts the Alex Nylander of podcasts.

Enjoy the day everyone!

From The Branches