by Margery Frisch
BIDWELL—The field adjacent to the laneway, leading to the farm, was lined with cars. Music, from a speaker by the house, filled the air and the residents of the sanctuary were getting a lot of attention. GLO Farm Sanctuary sent out an invitation, an appreciation day, Saturday, August 5, and the community came with bells on.
Ali Valentine, founder and executive director of GLO Farm, was in her element. Surrounded by the animals she loves, explaining to the people what the sanctuary is all about. “It’s a forever home for these animals,” she said, “they’ve been abused and or abandoned and they’ve come here to happily live out the rest of their days.” She patiently answered questions from curious adults and inquisitive children.
The pigs and the sheep were front and centre when little children, and older folks too, were handed treats to give out, while the horses wandered away from the crowds. Volunteers manned the merchandise table, the bake sale and 50/50 draw, and the barbecue. Even Derek and Derek from Deez Dogz of AOK were on hand, cooking up hot dogs and sausages. The place was hopping.
Gilles Pereira, a former volunteer, when the farm was in East Garafraxa, was at the merchandise booth. “I’m a city guy,” he said, “I grew up in the city, but I’ve been a sanctuary volunteer since 2017. I grew up with a dog and a cat and had other small pets, but I had no idea what was involved in caring for large animals, and not just feeding them and giving them water, but enriching their lives. It’s an amazing experience.” Gilles is a board member for Glo Farm, which became a registered Canadian charity in 2021. “It’s a six-hour drive from Toronto, so a little hard to volunteer now, but I came up for this event, to lend a hand,” he said.
Leanne Smith camps on the Island on weekends and volunteers at the farm on Saturdays. Julia Burns is also a volunteer, she’s a nurse at MHC Mindemoya. She lives in Little Current and is new to the community, but was drawn to the sanctuary, its practices and its philosophy. Alicia Irwin was looking after the vegan burgers and dogs. She, along with all the other volunteers were full of smiles, observing the crowds of interested onlookers.
Jenn Mezei lives at the Rainbow Farm in Manitowaning and came to learn about the sanctuary as did Anastasia Eranosova, the Island Gardener, from Tehkummah. All were invited to add their artistic flare to the sign that will eventually grace the side of the barn.
The barn was sporting a brand new, shiny red roof, and Ms. Valentine gave a shout out to Rob Maguire of TerraStar Building Supplies as well as Terry Moggy and his crew at Moggy Excavating who installed it. The day was full of appreciation for a generous community. “We’re up to about 15 volunteers now,” Ali said with a smile, “but we always have need for more.”
