Tenth - and last - Feed my Lambs ornament out

BY NANCY KELLY

Kings County Register

The Berwick and District Interfaith Outreach Society, also known as “Feed my Lambs‚” recently launched its tenth - and final - ornament in a series that has helped the organization raise funds for school nutrition programs in Western Kings County.

The latest pewter ornament, designed by Aylesford artist Twila Robar-Decoste depicts a child cradling a lamb. Robar-Decoste, who designed the entire series, submitted the sketch three years ago and said the directors held on to this latest design with the idea it would be most appropriate for a final ornament. “It does end things off nicely,” remarks Robar-Decoste, adding she was pleased to have the opportunity to create the designs for the ornament series. “Not all artists get to try every medium, and it was a wonderful opportunity to express myself in a three-dimensional way.”

Since 1998, sales of the Feed My Lambs ornaments have helped the organization fund local school breakfast and lunch programs and provide summer camp experiences to disadvantaged youth. Last year, $11,000 was donated to help needy children in the area.

Outreach society chairman Marge Anderson says, despite the fact the ornament campaigns have been successful, the group is “burnt out and needing to change gears.” The board of directors has decided to discontinue ornament production.

Anderson explains the board has structured its finances to allow it to continue making donations to local schools until 2010, a new plan to continue the group’s work beyond this date will need to be developed. “Honestly, we never envisioned this going past year one. The campaigns were very successful and, unfortunately, the need in our communities has just not gone away.”

At the group’s September annual meeting, the board approved a total disbursement of $6,800 for breakfast and lunch programs at Somerset and District School, St. Mary’s Elementary, Berwick, Coldbrook, Cambridge Elementary, West Kings and Central Kings high schools and the Highbury Education Centre. The group also adopted a guiding principle that will allow it to spend up to $8,000 per year on nutrition programs, and up to $3,000 on summer camp registrations, until 2010.

The new ornaments are now available for sale and can be obtained by contacting parish representatives at the Berwick United and Baptist churches, at Christ Church Anglican Church in Berwick and Aylesford and Berwick’s St. Anthony’s. They are also available at Wilsons Pharmasave and will be on sale at the upcoming Berwick and Somerset school craft fairs. People interested in completing their collections with previous year’s ornaments may contact Pat Blenkhorn at 538-8200 for details.

While Feed My Lambs is anticipating a wind down of its activities in the next couple of years, the directors are looking forward to their next project in the spring of 2008. Once again, Robar-Decoste will apply her talents to create a limited edition colour print. Proceeds of sales from the framed artwork will benefit the society. “It will be a bit of a departure for us but, given the response to our ornaments and the quality of Twila’s work, we anticipate it will be well received,” says Anderson.