Food bank gets upgraded driveway for loading Stirling Community Cupboard made a presentation to Rotary club on the need for a better access to loading area, following which efforts were taken up to provide the same in quick time.

A small improvement project undertaken by a local service club in response to a request for assistance has created better access to an area service.

In May this year, Heather Bailey, chairperson of the Stirling Community Cupboard (Food Bank), was invited by Stirling Rotary (Ontario, Canada – D 7070) to attend one of the local service club’s weekly breakfast meetings.

“We were wondering if there was anything Rotary could do to assist them,” said Rotarian Bill Vaughan.

“When Heather told us of their desperate need of a proper and safer loading area, along with an upgraded driveway at the building, we quickly offered to help.”

The Community Cupboard building sits on municipal land and is a municipal building and so any proposed changes required approval of the Stirling-Rawdon property committee.

In late May, Bailey made a formal presentation to council and was granted consent to proceed with the much-needed improvements.

Vaughan, a retired civil engineer, took charge of the project in early June.

Once he had staked the area of the planned driveway expansion, excavation began to remove unwanted weeds, rocks and other overgrown vegetation.

This was accomplished with the help of the Stirling-Rawdon public works crew under the direction of George Burkitt.

“Their assistance and cooperation was essential,” said Vaughan.

“They dug everything out and also supplied us with the concrete curbing we required.”

The next step was to construct and install the wooden forms necessary for the new concrete loading pad.

Vaughan and his Rotary crew handled this job and then poured the concrete to create the brand new, extended loading pad.

John Curtis Trucking supplied 24 cubic yards of large crushed limestone for the three-inch base of the new driveway.

They supplied the material at cost and delivered it free of charge.

Adam Cooney of Sticks and Stones Landscaping in Stirling trucked in 12 cubic yards of minus three-quater inch limestone and brought along his front-end loader and compacting equipment to spread the material for the top layer of the driveway.

Cooney supplied all material at cost and his manpower and machinery free of charge.

And once the concrete curbing was placed and pegged, the job was complete.

“We couldn’t be more pleased,” said Bailey as she admired the finished product.

“These improvements were all-important from a safety point of view and we are so grateful that Rotary offered to take on the project and cover all costs.”

Vaughan went on to explain the total cost for materials was just more than $1,000 and was quick to express his gratitude to all those who pitched in with equipment and sweat equity.

“We’re so fortunate to be living in such a caring community,” said Vaughan.

Further, he said,“I’m particularly pleased that our club had the resources and volunteers to tackle such a job.”

Source: Community Press