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Still time to play Santa for needy of community Stoufi‘ijille u -‘Ii'ib une \ THURSDAY, DEC.18, 2008 I SERVINGTHE COMMUNITY OF WHITCHURCHâ€"STOUFFVILLE I 20 PAGES/$1 INCLUDING GST The Stoutfville Sun-Tribune and its sister publications in the York Region Media Group are raising money for their Santa Fund and requesting donated items to make the wishes of local families come true. BY SIMONE JOSEPH Staff Writer You have already made a dif- ference in the lives of needy local families. Many people have already dropped off gifts and monetary donations, said Carrie Mac- Farlane, circulation supervisor for the papers’ Stouffville and Markham oflices. But there is still time to make a donation. Donations need to be dropped off by Dec. 22 and everything will be delivered by Christmas Eve. The fund will benefit 22 Stoufl‘ville and Markham fami- lies. Each family submits a wish list that can include items such as baby clothing, household items, hats and mittens. Clothing donations in all sizes as well as popular toys and other gifts for all age groups are still needed. The YRMG Santa Fund began in 2001. As part of the program, every family receives a box of household items that includes dish soap, shampoo, towels, toiâ€" let paper and a voucher for a Sun-Tribune drive helps 22 families See DROP, page 9. Lance Foeller (from left) as sous-chef, instructor Bill Edmondson, Nicole Burdette and Rose Wolfe fill orders at the Stoufiville District Secondary School’s kitchen. The meals are served for $5 in the adjoining bistro to students and staff members. The program is in its third year. BY SANDRA BOLAN Staff Writer caching a group of teenâ€" agers how to make a meal that goes beyond ripping open a box that was just pulled out of the freezer and waiting three minutes for the microwave to beep, not only pro- vides students with the life-long skill of cooking. Careers, life skills, good chow on menu It also gives them an opportu- THE LAUGHING OLIVE BISTRD SERVES MORE THAN 35 MEALS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS nity to work as a team and tickle their taste buds with new flavours. TWO years ago, Stouffville Disâ€" trict Secondary School launched its culinary arts program, which not only teaches students in grades 10 through 12 how to cook nutritious meals. Perhaps more importantly, the program pro- vides students, who do not neces- sarily learn the best while sitting behind a desk, a venue to learn teamwork and communication. The Laughing Olive yorkregion. com/news/Video “The life skills is the most important thing,” Bill Edmond- son, the program's co-ordinator, teacher and professional chef said. Tucked away on the main floor of the high school is the laughing Olive Bistro, which is where stu- dents and faculty come for home- THURSDAY FOCUS Tucked away on the main floor of the high school is the laughing Olive Bistro, which is where stu- dents and faculty come for home- See video report from The Laughing Olive yorkregion. com/news/Video Opinion . . . Things to do Sports . . . . . Classified .. made meals made by the culinary arts students five days a week throughout the school year. The school, which opened last year on Hoover Park Drive, was built with an enlarged cooking section due to the popularity of the courses. The kitchen is shared with the cafeteria, which provides these Sec STUDENTS, [mgr IS STAFF PHOTO/SJOERD WHTEVEEN 6312 Main St Stom‘MIIe 905-640-4646