A long awaited furniture renewal in McMaster Hall will benefit more than the students who move into the Brandon University (BU) residence. The old furniture that made generations of BU students feel at home will continue to be put to good use, helping hundreds of community members. McMaster Hall is getting 230 new sets of furniture, replacing beds, desks, dressers and night stands that in some cases have been in McMaster Hall since it opened in 1971. While the furniture is old, it was also extremely well built, meaning that a lot of it still has life and value left. To that end, Ancillary Services office is partnering with local charities, as well as BU staff and faculty, to find new homes for the furniture where it is greatly needed. The University is donating more than 175 pieces of furniture to the Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation (BNRC), nearly 100 items to the Community Health and Housing Association, 10 to the BU World University Service Club and at least a half-dozen items to Child and Family Services of Western Manitoba. Additionally, BU staff and faculty were given the offer to purchase pieces, raising $955 for the United Way Brandon & District. “This has been the best ‘feel-good’ project we have been able to do in a while. It has certainly lifted many spirits!” says Jackie Nichol, Ancillary Services Manager at BU. “Much credit goes to Cindy Sisson in our Ancillary Services office, who had a real passion for keeping things out of the landfill and came up with the charity sale for staff and faculty.” The furniture chosen by the CHHA will be sold in its Building Re-Fit Store in Brandon. The Building Re-Fit store has been in operation for 28 years, selling good, reusable furniture and building supplies while providing work training and employment for disadvantaged individuals. The store has been closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic but is scheduled to reopen on June 16. “The Building Re-Fit Store is stocked entirely through donations, so the support of the community, including partners like Brandon University, is vital to what we do,” says Erin Coleman, Health and Housing Support Worker for the CHHA. “The store supports those in need and helps save the planet by collecting the used furniture and building materials and making them available to people of the Westman area at an affordable price. Every donation makes a difference in a lot of ways.” The BNRC will make its furniture available to individuals experiencing homelessness to support them as they move into housing. It will fit well with a mattress program that the organization already has in place with Sleep Country. “We will work with our partner agencies like the Manitoba Métis Federation’s Housing First Program, the CHHA and others to ensure that those who finally get a place don’t have to sleep on the floor because they don’t have furniture,” says BNRC Executive Director Carly Gasparini. “This is such a great re-use of this furniture and will have a major impact on the community.” Ancillary Services has been setting money aside for the project for years, and when the replacement furniture for McMaster Hall was ordered last fall no one could have predicted the impact that COVID-19 would have locally, closing the Brandon University campus and reshaping the way that transactions are made for the foreseeable future. Nichol says that has been taken into account, with staff at BU setting up contactless payment and curbside pickup from the parking lot outside McMaster Hall. “A huge thanks to our Ancillary Services and Building Services teams who have already moved out more than 100 pieces of furniture,” Nichol said. “They have been troopers, making sure that we can safely get the furniture out to where it will help the most.” (Brandon University News Release)

Early Saturday morning Brandon Fire and Emergency Services along with Brandon Police Service responded to the 300 block of Percy Street for reports of a vehicle on fire in a driveway, with fire threatening the house. The Ford truck was fully engulfed in flames upon arrival of fire crews, and was parked very close to the nearby garage. Firefighter/Paramedics managed to extinguish the fire before it was able to catch the garage on fire. Crews went inside the garage to check for extension of any fire, but  found none. The truck is a total loss, but thankfully no injuries occurred.

Dozens of Brandonites marched the sidewalks of 18th Street in support of the Black Lives Matter movement on Friday afternoon. The march started in the Healthy Living Centre parking lot and continued south on 18th Street before turning around and coming back once hitting Richmond Ave. Numerous cars honked their horns in support as marchers waived and held signs with various messages of support for the movement. The BLM movement was rekindled in the United States after a white police officer killed George Floyd, an African American man, by kneeling on his neck for nearly 9 minutes. Following the killing, protests and rallies have been happening in every US state, as well as numerous other countries.

Source: Brandon Police Service Media Release On Thursday morning, a witness reported a male and female walked away from a vehicle that they left in the traffic circle at 34th Street and Willowdale Drive. Both were arrested near the scene. Once located by police, the 37-year-old male was found in possession of a concealed weapon and the 24-year old female was discovered to be on a court order to have no contact with the male. The male is charged with possession of a dangerous weapon, carry a concealed weapon and uttering threats. He was released and will appear in court in September. The female was charged with failing to comply with the conditions of her undertaking and was held in custody for court. On Thursday morning, police attended a north end business after an employee called to report there was a male present at the store that was banned. Police located the male walking away from the store and when approached, the male produced a knife and threw it in an attempt to discard it. The 26-year-old Brandon male was arrested and charged with possess a dangerous weapon, resist arrest, and failing to comply with the conditions of both an undertaking and probation order. The male was held in custody for court in the morning.

Brandon University (BU) Food Services is teaming up with the Brandon Food Council, the John Howard Society and Assiniboine Community College to provide barrier-free nutritious meals for all. Everyone Eats is a curbside pickup program that will offer top-quality dinners, prepared by BU Food Services. The trial launch of the initiative will provide 200 meals per day for Wednesday June 10, Thursday June 11 and Friday June 12. On these days, individuals will be able to order chef-inspired meals for themselves and their household with payment by confidential donation of $0 to $100. People who are able are encouraged to Meal it Forward by contributing over and above the suggested donation of $8 per meal. “Everyone deserves a good, nutritious meal, but a lot of people struggle to feed themselves and their families,” said Nicholas Namespetra, Manager of Food Services. “Layoffs due to the pandemic are only making this problem worse. With Everyone Eats there will be no stigma as everyone who picks up a meal may be in a different situation, and all donations are confidential. The best part is that those who are able can chip in with a larger donation to lend a hand to their neighbours.” The first Meal of the Day will be available on Wednesday, June 10. Orders may be made online at EveryoneEatsBrandon.ca or by calling 204-727-9652 before 2 p.m., for that day or for all three days. For those who are unable to come for curbside pickup, limited contact-free delivery will be provided by a team of volunteers upon request. “Going forward, we hope to get enough support to continue Everyone Eats indefinitely,” Namespetra said. “It is our goal to ensure that quality, nutritious meals are available in a way that affords people dignity.” Everyone Eats will also be partnering with food retail and food rescue services to supplement the initiative and assist in the reduction of food waste in our region. “Nicholas has led a significant revamping of our Food Services with an emphasis on the importance of fresh, nutritious and varied meals to a healthy lifestyle,” said Susan Smale, BU’s Director of Business Operations. “We’re happy to see this approach being extended outward so that BU can help to fill a real need in our community.” (Brandon University News)