Under clear blue skies, hundreds flocked to Boyd Conservation Area in Vaughan on August 7, 2010 for Local 1000A's fourth and final Community Action Network (CAN) BBQ picnic of the year. Members from Toronto and the surrounding areas brought their families and friends to the day-long event which featured several activities including soccer, an iron-chef cooking contest, a jumping castle, face-painting, balloon toss, potato sack races, bingo and an all-you-can-eat BBQ.
Mary-Joe Eaton, a packer at Kretschmar in North York, said she sees the Toronto CAN BBQ picnic getting bigger and better every year. “It was absolutely awesome,” Eaton said. “We get the chance to get to know one another and meet each other’s children and grandchildren.”
Lisa Van Altena-Walsh, a deli clerk at the Real Canadian Superstore in Mississauga, said everyone had a good time. “It’s a good opportunity for members to meet people from other stores, bring their families and find out what the union is all about,” Altena-Walsh said.
Earlier this summer, CAN hosted BBQ picnics in Ottawa, London and North Bay. The $5 entry fee per family will be donated to the Sickle Cell Association, an organization that works to find a cure for sickle cell disease.
