


October Dinner Meeting
October Dinner Meeting
Dinner Meeting Date: Tuesday, October 15th, 2019
Place: Hepworth/Shallow Lake Legion
Time: Gathering: 5:30 p.m. - Business: 6:15 p.m. - Supper: 6:45 p.m. - Presentation: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $18.00
Presentation: Henry Reinders (Tommy Cooper Award Winner In 2018)
Contact: Ken Frook 519-371-6695
The Fall Dinner Meeting, October 15th will feature a guest speaker Henry Reinders. Henry was the recipient of the coveted "Tommy Cooper Award" in 2018. The award is named after Tommy Cooper, a 39 year veteran of local agricultural work, who served as a provincial government farm extension worker in Grey County. Cooper is widely credited with helping area farmers adapt to new scientific and mechanical innovations. This award is presented by The Sun Times and Bayshore Broadcasting to the person making the greatest contribution to agriculture and rural living in Grey and Bruce counties. Henry's involvement with Canadian Foodgrains and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture was especially recognized.
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Henry is a retired dairy farmer in Meaford, Ontario. He organized the Bighead River growing project for more than 20 years. Through the project, a group of people plant, tend and harvest a crop. Once sold, they donate the proceeds to Canadian Foodgrains Bank for its work in ending global hunger. In February Henry travelled to Malawi with the Foodgrains Bank to see how his contributions are used. “I think it’s important that we share what we know to help those who are less fortunate. It gives me great hope that we can help many more farmers – many more people – in countries like Malawi become self-sufficient and food secure,” he says. Since then Henry has written letters to his MP and advocates for an increase in Canadian aid. He continues to support the Foodgrains Bank through the growing project and is planning a World Food Day concert to help raise more funds for the cause.
Here he is pictured with Malawian farmer Danny Gwira.
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Henry, although retired, still has some land to keep him busy with cash crops. His message to farmers is that they need to do an even better job educating the consumer as well as children about what farming is really about. He says “there is a lot of misinformation out there, and who better to tell our story than us.”
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Henry is coming to our dinner meeting to share with us his passion for the work he does. Don't miss this meeting which is guaranteed to be both informative and inspiring.



