Holly Fraughton – IAMAW Local Lodge 2797

Happy Holidays!

Posted on20 December, 201920 December, 2019AuthorHolly Fraughton

From the executive of IAMAW Local Lodge 2797, we wish all members and their loved ones a safe and happy holiday season!

Shoeboxes For Shelters!

Posted on9 December, 20199 December, 2019AuthorHolly Fraughton

Last week, on #GivingTuesday, members of our Women’s Committee and local lodge members packed up shoeboxes for The Halifax Shoebox Project‘s annual drive.

The lodge made a cash donation to help purchase supplies and items, and members also made donations of items and helped pack up the boxes today during our lunch break! All told, we filled 21 boxes this year!

Thanks to all who participated!

Women’s Committee Volunteers

Posted on2 October, 20192 October, 2019AuthorHolly Fraughton

Members of our Women’s Committee volunteered at Feed Nova Scotia yesterday over their lunch hour on Tuesday, October 1st. They sorted onions that will be delivered around the province.

If anyone is interested in donating to Feed NS, some of the items that are in need of most are baby food, canned meat, canned vegetables and soup.

Thanks to all of the members who turned up to lend a hand! 🚺✊

Go for the Gold to Support the IAM 2020 Convention!

Posted on6 August, 20196 August, 2019AuthorHolly Fraughton

Fundraising is an essential part of preparing for the 40^th IAM Grand Lodge Convention September 7-11, 2020 in San Diego. You can help by entering our gold raffle, with all proceeds going to support the convention.

Click here to find out how to purchase tickets.

First prize is a collection of American Eagle gold coins currently valued at $20,000.

Second prize is a collection of American Eagle silver coins currently valued at $1,000.

Third prize is a $500 Visa gift card.

Support the IAM 2020 Grand Lodge Convention by going for the gold.

Our Women’s Committee reaches out!

Posted on11 June, 201911 June, 2019AuthorHolly Fraughton

Food insecurity is a real issue in Nova Scotia. According to Feed Nova Scotia, more than 41,000 Nova Scotians were supported by food banks in 2017, and 1/3 of these recipients are children.

Kim Clarke, Sarah Covey, Janet Baker & Zita Hildebrandt helped out at Feed Nova Scotia.
Women’s Committee Chair Sarah Covey and Executive Liason Janet Baker.
Janet & Sarah sort and pack milk cartons for distribution.
A pallet of donations is moved at the warehouse.
Kim packs a container with milk cartons.

It’s a sad reality that 15.4 per cent of Nova Scotian households are considered “food insecure,” which means they lack reliable access to enough affordable, nutritious food.

This is why IAMAW Local Lodge 2797’s Women’s Committee decided to support Feed Nova Scotia.

“It’s important that we look at all issues that have to do with family dynamics within the home,” explained Sarah Covey, Chair of our Women’s Committee.

“And we try and focus on local organizations that benefit all of our communities.”

1,970,623 kilograms of food was distributed through Feed Nova Scotia in the 2017/2018 year: this includes non-perishable goods, perishables, pet food, and even menstrual supplies, which are provided through a partnership with Dignity Period. All of the items that are donated or purchased by the organization need to be checked to ensure they are fresh/undamaged, then sorted and packaged to be distributed throughout the province.

It’s a task that requires a lot of helping hands.

Enter the volunteers: more than 30,000 volunteer hours were donated last year to the organization to help make sure food gets to people who need it. Our local lodge is just one of 123 volunteer groups that are trying to help with the task. So far, our Women’s Committee has visited Feed Nova Scotia on three separate occasions to sort and package donations.

On Tuesday, June 11^th, they repackaged 250 ml milk containers, checking their expiry dates, making sure the cartons weren’t damaged, sorting them into 15 kilogram groups and moving them onto pallets to be distributed throughout the province. On past visits, our group has helped sort imperfect produce that has been donated by farmers (approximately 15 per cent of Feed Nova Scotia’s donations come directly from farmers).

Our Women’s Committee plans to meet again in September and will probably hold another volunteer date with Feed Nova Scotia after that meeting. Anyone interested in joining the committee or volunteering with any of their events should contact Sarah Covey at scovey@nsgeu.ca.

For more information on food banks in Canada, please visit https://www.foodbankscanada.ca/

Make Your Voice Heard in the IAM Workplace Violence Survey!

Posted on1 March, 20191 March, 2019AuthorHolly Fraughton

You still have time to make your voice heard in IAM CREST’s second annual workplace violence survey. The survey is available in English, French, and Spanish.

The survey will close on March 31, 2019. Results will be published in April 2019.

The survey will help IAM CREST work toward solutions to improve workplace safety. The survey is completely anonymous and data will be shared with other partners to develop broad strategies.

Help us make work safer by taking the IAM CREST Workplace Violence Survey.

The survey is also available in French and Spanish.

You can also text IAMSAFETY to 55-000 to complete the survey on your mobile device. Workplace violence can take the form of a physical or emotional attack.

Nearly 17,000 workers experienced trauma from nonfatal workplace violence in 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Five-hundred Americans were victims of workplace homicide victims in 2016.

Click here to see results of IAM CREST’s first workplace violence survey.

Questions or concerns about the survey can be directed to IAM CREST Project Coordinator/Instructor Michael Oathout at 301-967-4707 or moathout@iamaw.org.