PROVIDENCE BAY—The Dewar family of Providence Bay is auctioning off the first litre of maple syrup they produced this year at their Cranston Road sugar shack to raise money for the Health Sciences North Northeast Cancer Centre.
“I saw that someone was auctioning off a crate of Kraft Dinner to raise money for a hockey team and thought it was a neat idea, so last year we decided as a family to auction off the first litre of maple syrup we made for the season and donate the funds to the cancer centre and we raised $150,” explained Travis Dewar. “It went so well that we decided to make it an annual event. We decided to donate the funds to the cancer centre because cancer is something that affects almost everyone, every family.”
The first litre of maple syrup of 2016 made in the Dewar sugar shack has already gone up for auction and as of press time the highest bid was $120. The minimum bid is $1 and the auction will end this Friday, March 18 at 8 pm. The winner will also receive a tax receipt from the cancer centre in the amount of the donation.
The Dewars built their family sugar shack in the summer of 2013, but have been making syrup as a family for the past five years.
“My father, Bill Dewar, had done it a lot when he was younger and wanted to get back into it and I wanted to as well,” said Mr. Dewar. “We found a used evaporator for sale and started up the hobby. Now it’s something we look forward to every year as a family. My wife Lauren Dewar (nee Gordon) really enjoys it too. She grew up making maple syrup with her grandfather Stan Gordon (of Kagawong).”
To place your bid for the coveted first litre of Dewar syrup of the season, visit Lauren Dewar or Travis Dewar’s Facebook page or call 705-929-3137.
