Latest news with #MustardSeed
Calgary Herald
08-05-2025
- Climate
- Calgary Herald
Unhoused Calgarians to benefit from expanded year-round extreme weather supports
Calgarians experiencing homelessness will soon have more access to safe, indoor spaces year-round, as two of the city's dedicated warming centres transition into year-round respites from extreme weather. Article content Article content Calgary Homeless Foundation (CHF) announced the initiative Thursday, a collaboration with the City of Calgary, Calgary police and United Way of Calgary. While offering shelter from extreme weather, the spaces aim to reduce barriers to housing and support reintegration into the community, ultimately helping people break the cycle of homelessness, the homeless foundation said in a release. Article content Article content 'It's very exciting for us to be able to serve more people and get them the supports that they need,' said Bo Masterson, the foundation's VP of stakeholder engagement. 'It's a really great opportunity to serve folks year round in a way that is very accessible, welcoming (and) supportive. Article content Article content 'Connecting them to services is a huge opportunity for our city to support people where they're at.' Article content The City of Calgary has committed $1.1 million per year over the next two years for the Day Spaces, according to the Calgary Homeless Foundation. Article content Masterson said the transition to year-round service was driven by the success of the Extreme Weather Response at creating low barrier access points to connect people to more sustainable, longer term supports, such as referrals to housing, mental health and medical supports, financial coaching and tax help. During the winter, more than 37,000 visits were recorded at five Extreme Weather Response locations, the foundation said. Article content Article content 'That is the success that really led us to thinking about having this this support year round,' Masterson said. Article content What is a Day Space? Article content According to CHF, Day Spaces provide an alternative to public spaces such as libraries, parks and transit during the day. They offer a trauma-informed place where people can rest, get a warm meal or beverage, and connect with services. Article content The year-round spaces will provide refuge during periods of extreme weather, such as extreme heat, cold or smoky conditions, while also connecting people to resources to ultimately support their journey out of homelessness. Article content The first expansion will take place at the Mustard Seed's Community Impact Centre, where renovations will increase daily capacity from 300 to 450. Office sapce on the second floor will be converted into service areas. Article content The centre already provides extreme weather programs, such as hygiene items, clothing, hot lunches and connection to support services. Article content 'We're very excited about this opportunity,' said Mustard Seed CEO James Gardiner. 'It gives us the chance to connect with more people in the vulnerable population that we seek to reach … This allows us to be able to touch more lives.'
Press and Journal
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Press and Journal
Emily in Scotland's favourite spots around Inverness, from battlefields to coffee shops
Visiting the Black Isle to make a wish at the Clootie Well and spot some dolphins is the perfect way to spend a day, according to Emily Chalmers, aka, Emily In Scotland. She shares all her adventures and trips, often with her dog, a Weimaraner named Baxter, across the Highlands and beyond with thousands of online followers. Emily, who grew up in Dingwall, also uses her social media platforms to share interesting stories and legends from the area. The project manager found her inspiration after listening to her granddad's stories while 'touring about'. It was while the pair were driving all over the place that his many interesting stories would come out. Emily, who is based near Inverness, would then research these stories when she got home, and that's where her interest grew. Now she has 146k followers on Instagram, a further 177k on Facebook, and 112.4k on TikTok, who all tune in to be inspired. We chatted to Emily about her love of the Highlands, and some of her favourite things about Inverness… I live quite close to Loch Ness, so it's always what comes to my mind, but what probably interests me the most is the Culloden battlefield and its history. I'm getting a bit obsessive about the history of it all. I love the battlefield, and I walk Baxter there. The Clava Cairns are also right up there. I'm still waiting to see it during the winter solstice, that's when the sunrise lines up with all the stones. But, I missed it in December, so that's my goal for this year… if I remember. The Victorian Market is one of my favourite places now that it's been done up; it's so good. If I want something to eat, it's usually where I pop in. There's so much choice and it's so pretty with all the fairy lights, I really love it. The actual Bad Girl Bakery is just along the road at Muir of Ord, so I've gone there too many times. The cakes are not like normal-sized cakes! Because I'm from here, I've had way too many nights in Johnny Foxes and the Den, they're probably not memorable in that I cannot remember them. I always think a night out in Inverness should include live music at Hootananny's. I don't think you can get a more traditional, great Inverness experience than being in there. You never know what's going to be happening there. I think it's got to be the Mustard Seed, I think they are steadily good. And they use all locally sourced products, and it's just always really good. I haven't had a bad meal there. For something more casual I'm always at the Black Isle Brewery, I don't drink the beer but I am a sucker for those pizzas. They do one that's like truffle and mushrooms, it's so good. It's dog-friendly, so when Baxter and I are in the area, that's where we're going. I think I get a lot of my inspiration online, like I deep dive into old maps and Canmore. And going to visitor centres. I know a lot of people visit the battlefield, for example, but don't always necessarily go to the visitor centre, which is what I've done for years. I only recently went a couple of months ago, and it's filled with so much information. Talking to the locals is where you hear the best stories, from people who have witnessed it. One of my favourite stories is that my grandfather swore he saw the Loch Ness Monster, and not in the water. He saw it on the banks of Loch Ness sunbathing. I love little tidbits like that. My first memories are so old and nostalgic, but the clock in the Eastgate Centre that used to do a show — that was one of my favourite things that I would always go and look at. It always seemed like such a big thing going to Inverness, even from the back of Dingwall, it seemed like a big journey then. So in Inverness, my favourite is definitely the Milk Bar, there's one in the Victorian Market and they have one down by the river as well. You can sit outside, and it's really nice. My local cafe, Biagiotti, is so good, and one of my favourites as well. I'm a coffee fiend, so that's my area of expertise. I'm incredibly busy, and I have a lot of stays coming up that are quite exciting. I'm going to the Isle of Arran, and I've never been before. I'm going to be staying in what is essentially an upside-down boat, so the roof is a boat and there's a house underneath it. And I'm not long back from visiting my sister in New Zealand. My usual go-to is the Black Isle. I'll go make a wish at the Clootie Well (with a biodegradable rag) and then go around the coast to Chanonry Point to see if I can spot any dolphins. Baxter can have a good run on the beach, and then I'll get coffee and cake. That's usually my nice, calm afternoon if I need something easy-going. Follow @emilyinscotland on Instagram for more adventures and stories.
Yahoo
22-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The Mustard Seed Store
RIDGELAND, Miss. (WJTV) – The Mustard Seed store is where you can find items that the Seedsters have made and decorated. In case you're not familiar with The Mustard Seed, it's a residential Christian community for adults with developmental disabilities. One of the activities is creating ceramics. Mississippi College's Communication Department Each of the Seedsters seems to have their own flare and style of creating color palates and decorating patterns. They have also written and illustrated a children's book, which is on sale. The store is located on Wheatley Street in Ridgeland. The Seedsters will hold a book signing on March 1 for their children's book at the store. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Garden center goes green(er)
The wind used to be a curse to staff at the Mustard Seed Landscaping and Garden Center just west of Chaska on Highway 212. Gusts regularly knocked over the containers of flowers, shrubs and trees, keeping employees busy setting everything upright again. But now, owner Mark Halla hopes to turn that meddlesome wind into a blessing by installing a wind turbine to power his business operations. 'This is a cool thing,' he said. 'It will power our whole facility.' Halla's been researching wind turbines for the last eight years. 'It was clear we needed to do something [about the wind],' he ex-plained. 'So we thought what can we do to make it better?' His answer was to try to harness the wind and turn it into energy for the garden center. The final parts for the 160-foot high tur-bine were delivered earlier this week. The windmill should be fully installed by the end of the week with a commissioning event set for 4:30-6:30 p.m. on July 14. Halla says his turbine should be more productive than the city of Chaska's infamous one just to the east. 'Ours will spin more often,' he said cheekily. 'And it will spin in winter.' The turbine's 160-foot steel tower is already in place behind the garden center. It sits on a 24-foot by 24-foot pad on top of two feet of concrete and 2,000 pounds of rebar buried seven feet deep. Its three piers are each three feet in diameter. The 25-foot blades will be among the items delivered and installed this week. When completed, the turbine will spin at wind speeds of just 5 miles per hour. Its capacity will be 40 kilowatts. That's a quarter of the capacity of Chaska's 160-kilowatt turbine, but Halla noted that sitting at 160 feet high, he'll catch more wind than Chaska's 80-foot high turbine does. Halla expects to generate 120,000 kilowatt hours per year. His business uses around 100,000 kilowatt hours so he'll have a chance to sell 20,000 kilowatt hours back to the power company at the same rate he pays to buy it. The turbine cost the business $200,000. Halla applied for and received both a federal grant and a rural electric grant that together covered 55 percent of the cost. He expects that the turbine will pay for itself within four years. 'The real joy is we're doing the right thing with renewable energy,' he said. 'We're setting the bar, leading the way.' This isn't the Mustard Seed's first green initiative. They previously installed a geothermal heating and cooling system. For their efforts, the company has been honored with a host of awards including the Minnesota Landscape Association's 2011 Friend of the Environment Award and the Minnesota Environmental Initiative's Partnership of the Year Award. Halla hopes that their actions will encourage other businesses to do the same. 'If you're going to do things, do them right,' he said.
