{"id":36387,"date":"2025-06-05T16:16:38","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T20:16:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/?p=36387"},"modified":"2025-06-12T15:19:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T19:19:20","slug":"aurora-couple-plans-to-take-p-e-i-by-foot-in-bid-to-help-local-food-insecurity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newspapers-online.com\/auroran\/aurora-couple-plans-to-take-p-e-i-by-foot-in-bid-to-help-local-food-insecurity\/","title":{"rendered":"Aurora couple plans to take P.E.I. by foot in bid to help local food insecurity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An Aurora couple that has set marathon records and taken on challenges that have taken them on foot from Toronto\u2019s waterfront to the City of Barrie have set themselves a new challenge: circling Prince Edward Island to raise money for food banks here at home, and in the maritime province.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erlinda and George Biondic, 85 and 73 respectively, plan to walk 700 km around Prince Edward Island between June 20 and July 23, camping along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA couple of months ago we were told the shelves were almost empty,\u201d say the couple on what inspired them to plan the trek. \u201cAlthough we live in an affluent society \u2013 at one time Aurora had the highest per capita income in Canada \u2013 there are people who have fallen on hard times through no fault of their own. COVID forced many to tighten their financial belts to the point where they faced food insecurity. Could have been your neighbour, silent out of embarrassment. Without food, a child can\u2019t learn and develop; an adult can\u2019t work and be productive, and when pressed to survive, some will turn to crime. Can the rest of us sit idly and do nothing?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlso, young and old need to be more active \u2013 not just for physical and mental health. Anxiety and depression are on the rise, and now, the impact of tariffs will be additional burdens, forcing folks to choose between paying for a roof over their head or food. The need will be greater, so to meet the challenge, Erlinda on her 85th<\/sup> birthday said, \u2018Let\u2019s go big this time. No wimping out. We\u2019ll never regret doing good.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking to George as the couple put the finishing touches on their route and gathering their gear, he said the food pantries both here at home and in Charlottetown were \u201cthrilled\u201d with their out-of-the-box idea to support their organizations and spoke of what keeps them motivated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI guess we\u2019re not ready to accept that we\u2019re done,\u201d said George with a chuckle. \u201cBirthdays remind you that you\u2019re getting another year older, and certainly once you get to 60, 70, and 80, things get tougher, but we\u2019re not ready to accept that we\u2019re done; we feel we can contribute to society. That\u2019s a big priority for us \u2013 and not just raising awareness as far as food needs, but people may see us and say, \u2018Oh, if they can do these things at their age, why can\u2019t I?\u2019 We feel that we\u2019re kind of examples to other people that life is not over once you retire. It doesn\u2019t have to be walking, necessarily \u2013 but be active, gardening, whatever \u2013 do something with your life so that when you wake up every morning you\u2019re excited about the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe other side of the demographic is younger people. We feel that younger people are not engaged as much as perhaps they should be in terms of activity. I know there are a lot of distractions with digital devices, and for all of us, that\u2019s very tempting, but the younger kids need to be out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good for them physically and it\u2019s good for them emotionally. In fact, it\u2019s good for all of us to be active.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the end of the day, however, as important as staying active is, this time it\u2019s all about helping others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we help others, it actually boosts our own mental wellbeing,\u201d said George. \u201cI\u2019ve said this many times, but I\u2019ve never regretted doing something good for somebody else. That\u2019s what we feel, that\u2019s what drives us, and we feel we are going to make a difference \u2013 and maybe it will start a trend where more people are going to give rather than, say, take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAurora has been our home for several decades. We want to make sure that we can help everybody in our Town to feel safe, feel comfortable when they\u2019re walking around. When we moved up here from Toronto, Toronto was a little bit rough, but we want to keep Aurora just the way it is in terms of a community where you feel good about it and the people that you encounter, you feel good about them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To help support George and Erlinda Biondic\u2019s efforts, you can do so online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To benefit the Aurora Food Pantry, visit aurorafoodpantry.ca, and select \u201cDonate\u201d in the top right corner of the page. The next page will display a dropdown menu under \u201cFund\u201d and all you need to do is select \u201cGeorge and Erlinda\u2019s PEI Fundraising Walk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supporting the Charlottetown Food Bank and Charlottetown Soup Kitchen is easy as well. Simply visit www.canadahelps.org\/en\/charities\/food-bank-and-soup-kitchen<\/a> and select \u201cGeorge and Erlinda\u2019s Island Walk\u201d from the dropdown menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Brock Weir<\/strong><\/p>\n\r\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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