It was 92-years ago that Loblaw Groceteria opened its New Toronto store on the south side of Lake Shore Blvd. W., between Fifth and Sixth Streets.

The firm was established in 1919 and quickly became a hit due to the unheard of concept of self-shopping, self-serve and cash and carry. The New Toronto store hired many local people when it was opened in 1928.

Many residents at the time vowed self-shopping would never work, but by 1928 there were 70 stores in Ontario. The company had a state-of-the-art head office and warehouse at Bathurst and Fleet Streets that had its own electric trams, giant ovens and employee bowling lanes and auditorium.

Today, Loblaw Companies Limited, a subsidiary of George Weston Limited, is the largest Canadian food retailer in 22 markets with some 2,000 stores and 135,000 employees. The company owns No Frills with 200 franchise stores and the Shoppers Drug Mart chain with 1,300 stores from coast-to-coast.

The grocery chain was founded by Theodore Loblaw, who was born near Alliston, and moved to Toronto in 1890 and later settled in Mimico.

At 17, he found a job as a grocery store clerk, and used the experience to open his own store in 1919 which grew to become today’s chain of Loblaws grocery stores.

T.P., as he was called, and his wife Isabella Adam, built a large estate home on the Lakeshore in Mimico and named it Bonnyview. After she died in 1930, the house was sold and later demolished.

The tireless workers and volunteers at LAMP Community Health Centre are proud to be serving the community during these challenging times.

The long-established organization is giving away free food boxes and gift certificates for food to needy residents in the community.

Many people in the area are struggling and don’t have enough food at home, LAMP officials say. Some of these families rely on the healthy food, snacks and supper offered by LAMP programs, schools and other centres.

With all the programs closed that support is no longer available, so LAMP is boosting its efforts with the aid of a generous grant from Community Food Centres Canada and partners as Etobicoke Services for Seniors, the Rotary Club of Etobicoke, FoodShare and others.

LAMP is giving away Good Food Boxes and small gift certificates for food on a weekly basis to people needing help due to COVID-19. They are also giving out free lunch meal takeaway bags to residents five days a week.

The LAMP office at 185 Fifth Street has cancelled all routine, non-essential visits due to the virus and changed clinic hours from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday until further notice.

Some medications will require a visit and it will be up to a provider whether or not you will need an appointment for renewal. If you need a renewal you can also call your pharmacy and have them fax a request to the LAMP office.

Please note that LAMP does not conduct tests for the coronavirus. There is a COVID-19 Assessment Centre in the Sunnyside Building, of St. Joe’s Health Care Centre, at 30 The Queensway.

If you do have to visit LAMP, you are asked to wait outside until your appointment and not in the waiting room to help with social distancing.

Donations can be made to LAMP’s COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund at https://lampchc.org/get-involved/donate/ or phone 416-252-6471.

Sing, ring a bell or clang an old pot.

South Etobicoke residents are joining others in banging pots and making noise in a show of support to our stressed-out frontline healthcare and emergency workers battling COVID-19.

There are noise-making activities that are taking place in Long Branch and Humber Bay Shores that needs the support of the community.

Humber Bay Shores resident Shawn Griffiths is reminding everyone of a ‘Shake the Shores’ event that takes place every Saturday from the balconies of the Lakeshore Blvd. W. and Parklawn Rd. area condo towers.

Griffiths say the next ‘Lets turn it up’ noisemaker is on Saturday April 25, from 7:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m., for those in quarantine of self-isolation to ring bells, sing and make noise from their balconies to support our nurses, doctors and other emergency workers.

The last Shake the Shores attracted more than 100 people who tuned in to an i-Phone “community speaker sync” for three-songs. You will feel better after letting it all out.

“We are trying to help flatten the curve,” he says. “This Saturday will be amazing if we get the same level of participation.”

We saw a lot of people on their balconies cheering, dancing and singing along despite technical difficulties, Griffiths says.

Other balcony events are planned for May 2, 9, 16 and every Saturday during the quarantine. For more details www.shaketheshores.com

Similar noise-making events are also taking place nightly in Long Branch at  7:30 p.m., in which residents are asked to step out to their porches to ‘bang a pot, cheer or sing a song’ to thank our front-line workers battling COVID-19.

Contact Bill Zufelt, of the Long Branch Neighbourhood Association, by email for further information at longbranchnato@gmail.com

There are also reports of residents belting out the Canadian anthem every morning in the Long Branch area. Let us know if you have similar events in your community at thesouthetobicokenews@gmail.com

Area residents are scouring the parks and vicinity trying to help a Mimico bird lover find her pet parrot which has been missing for more than a month.

The name of the male bird is Cash and he is described as a Connur cinnamon parrot. He was last seen  about March 20, according to a post on pawboost.com, a site that helps reunite lost pets with their owners.

“The bird is green, yellow, orange with short hair and no medical issues,” according to Cash’s owner. “It was last seen in the Evans Ave. and Royal York Rd. area.”

The saddened owner believes Cash is out there scared and hiding.

“Please do not chase, call or whistle as this may cause them to run in fear and into danger,” according to a Lost Bird in Toronto poster.

A number of area residents have been searching for Cash and posting the results of their search on a website.

For more info email Cash’s owner at Mshelena123@gmail.com

What do you do with hundreds of Girl Guides cookies you cannot sell.

Alderwood student Maria Tobin has given away to neighbours some of her tasty Guild Guides of Canada cookies as girls in the 110-year-old organization have been stopped from selling them due to COVID-19

Maria left the boxes with a nice note in the mailboxes of appreciative  residents in the Brown’s Line and Horner Ave. area.

“I hope you are well and staying safe and healthy in this time,” she wrote. “Please accept this complimentary box of Girl Guides cookies in the spirit of neighbourly solidarity.”

Maria’s says “my family is fortunate to be healthy, safe and together and for this we are grateful.”

Her 10th Guides leader Liz Canrinus has more than 60 boxes of the popular cookies stored in her garage as she awaits for the situation to improve, in regards to staying at home, social distancing and hand washing.

“We don’t know what this means for our future funding as the cookie sales are the major source of fundraising for the group,” wonders Maria’s mom, Sonja.

Jill Zelmanovits, Girl Guides of Canada Chief Executive Officer, says the safety of the girls and adult members are a number one priority

“We do not expect to generate the same revenue from membership fees or cookies in the near term,” Zelmanovits wrote on their website. “This has very serious implications which have forced us to make critical decisions to reduce expenses to ensure our long-term sustainability.”

She says 3.7 million boxes of ‘classic’ cookies were shipped out just before the deadly COVID-19 and physical distancing measures largely brought the country to a halt.

Selling cookies is one of the largest yearly fundraisers for Girl Guides and once bakers are reimbursed for their product, profits are then kept by local units to plan events and help keep registration costs down.

The Girl Guides of Canada was formed in 1910, with the cookies being sold since 1927. The funds are used for activities like hiking and camping. Some of the cookies will be sold at Farm Boy, Shoppes of Alderwood plaza, with proceeds going to 92^nd Sparks, 64B Brownies and 10^th Guides. You can place an order by email to liz.canrinus@sympatico.ca