[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Auroran | Brock Weir<\/p>\n
[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”1856″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Brock Weir<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Summer is usually a slow time of year for the Aurora Food Pantry.<\/p>\n People are often at the cottage soaking up the sun, away on vacation, or gearing up for the busy fall ahead. While Thanksgiving and Christmas are usually times of plentwy, this season presents a particular challenge for them. This month, however, they got a welcome infusion of $2,000 to their group, courtesy of Opus Homes, and the contributions of local photographer Anna Lozyk Romeo.<\/p>\n As Opus, one of a number of builders joining forces in the new Aurora Trails community, was preparing their showroom for an onslaught of new customers, they were looking at ways to give prospective homeowners a true flavour of the community they were thinking about joining.<\/p>\n After a chance meeting, they met Anna, who spearheads the Living in Aurora blog, which documents the goings on in Aurora through photography.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile we were starting to do some research on building in Aurora, we made contact with Anna,\u201d explains Opus president Andrea DeGasperis-Ronco. \u201cWhen we read her blog, we saw what a cornerstone to Aurora she really is. [Her work] represents to people who do not live in Aurora what Aurora is and stands for.\u201d<\/p>\n Brainstorming ways to incorporate Anna\u2019s photos into the work they were doing, they settled upon a series of photos that line the walls, as well as a video combining the shots with original music by local musician Glenn Marais. Their collective vision was to give a sampling of what \u201cliving in Aurora\u201d is all about, from local concerts, to area facilities, streetscapes, and just residents at large. It provides residents, says Ms. DeGasperis-Ronco, \u201can insight into what it is to live in Aurora.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis woman is spectacular,\u201d she says of Anna. \u201cWe are a little company that tries to give back and she is a self-made woman who wants to give back to the community she lives in.\u201d<\/p>\n When they came to a matter of settling the fee, Ms. DeGasperis-Ronco says she was \u201cblown away\u201d when Anna asked they cut a cheque for the Food Pantry instead. After agreeing to a cheque for $1,500, Opus upped the ante by a further $500.<\/p>\n \u201cThis ensures we are able to buy the milk and the fresh meat and eggs that we buy every week,\u201d says Nancy Jean Rummenie of the Aurora Food Pantry. \u201cIt is good to have a good cushion and run a food bank without worrying about having to meet rent and those things. We buy a lot of the stuff we don\u2019t get donated and we can get a good stock when we get good financial donations.<\/p>\n \u201cOur donations are really down in the summertime. Concerts in the Park do a little bit, but other than that, there is not a lot of big food drives, so we really do see a lack of donations and we buy a lot during the summer. Around Thanksgiving and Christmas, everyone is in the giving mood.\u201d When Andrea started the company with her husband four years ago, they looked for ways they could give back to the communities in which they built. A lot of people have \u201cnegative feelings about buying from a big builder\u201d but they set out to establish more of a \u201cfamily and personalized approach\u201d to home building.<\/p>\n While some builders give new homeowners some token as a \u201cthank you\u201d when they move in, Opus provides them with a pizza voucher to take the worry out of feeding the family on moving day and, once they are all settled, new homeowners are then presented with a list of local organizations to which the builder will donate in their honour.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has been well received by our purchasers and it makes us feel like we are donating back to the communities we are building in,\u201d she says. \u201cAurora seems, for many, a bedroom community and for many years we didn\u2019t work in Aurora,\u201d says Ms. Lozyk Romeo. \u201cWe didn\u2019t know Town Park, we didn\u2019t know the Aurora Cultural Centre, and all that stuff. I think it is a great idea to give an imprint [of the community] when people come in and first look. They might not do it right away, but they may have [these photos] in the backs of their minds. It opens up a way to explore Aurora.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The Auroran | Brock Weir New homeowners could help the hungry when they move into the 2C development [\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”1856″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Brock Weir Summer is usually a slow time of year for the Aurora Food Pantry. People are often at the cottage soaking up the sun, away on vacation, or gearing up for the busy … <\/p>\n
\nThe Aurora Food Pantry can expect additional help in the years ahead from this particular developer.<\/p>\n
\nFor Anna, it is a winning combination.<\/p>\n