THE BRANDON SUN n THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2026 Group bakes delicious treats with heart RETIREMENT LIVING n B5
“ They’re all just such nice people. We have a text group where we all share recipes and pictures of our starter to see who was doing well. It’s a very active group and we all talk a lot. I hope that’s going to keep going forward. — Debbie Howson
BY LIAM OLIVER NEILSON LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE
get together socially and do some baking.” Howson said after the sessions end, baked goods are either brought home by group mem- bers or eaten during meals at the centre. The group is also debating the possibility of doing bake sales in the future to put funds back into the senior centre. Although Krafters require no previous ex- perience, Glenda Grennier is putting years of skills to use and sharing her baking knowledge with the group. Grennier worked at Emo’s Clo- verleaf Grocery store for 31 years, managing the bakery onsite. “It’s a good chance to learn something new,” Grennier said. “Everyone is welcome and it’s free. It’s a great place we have over here.” During last week’s session, the group made ciabatta bread for each of them to take home. Other weeks, the group has made sourdough starters, bread and cinnamon buns. Kitchen Krafters plan to continue to meet three Wednesdays every month at the senior centre in the Emo Knox United Church. They plan to dabble in new baking projects to learn or revisit successful treats from the past with each meet.
It’s well documented that many Canadians find it hard to fill spare time after retirement. Surveys by the Angus Reid Institute, a Canadi- an non-profit pollster, suggest that around half of those who struggle with retirement blame boredom as a major factor. The new baking group in Emo, Ont., dubbed Kitchen Krafters, aims to give seniors a fun way to pass the time with uplifting and positive company on Wednesday mornings, according to Senior Centre chair Cindy Judson. “Some of our membership has said they were finding it that times were getting low just hanging around the house,” Judson told the Fort Frances Times. “They thought, ‘Well, I’ve got to get myself out of here, what can I do? I’m going to check out the senior centre,’ and voi- la. They’re just thrilled to be able to come and go and enjoy all different experiences.” The group is growing quickly after only three sessions and reaching up to 15 people baking together. The Senior Centre is able to accom- modate the high volume of interested people with its newly renovated kitchen and an ample supply of new baking materials. “We used to have a space that was barely
ing the mornings with the group. “They’re all just such nice people,” Howson said. “We have a text group where we all share recipes and pictures of our starter to see who was doing well. It’s a very active group and we all talk a lot. I hope that’s going to keep going forward.” Howson said there has been people in the centre discussing organized baking since she started her role as co-ordinator last Octo- ber. “It’s been in the works for a while, so we thought in the new year we’d try and run it.” “Members wanted to explore sourdough bread baking and different ideas for home- made buns,” she said. “Just some type of group where we could all
bigger than a walk-in closet,” Judson said. “With the crowd that was in this room, we were quite comfortable and enjoyed ourselves working together. I credit the Senior Active Living Centre grant through the Ministry of Seniors and Accessibility. They are the ones that provided the funding to be able to supply baking ingredients and to help pay for equip- ment that we need in here. When we were in a closet-sized kitchen before, there just weren’t implements here to work with, and so they certainly have bailed us out of a situation to make things possible.” Centre co-ordinator Debbie Howson is a regular member of the Kitchen Krafters’ team. She noted how much she has enjoyed spend-
» Fort Frances Times
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Heart-shaped cookies made by Glenda Grennier to give as gifts in celebration of Valentine’s Day. (Liam Oliver Neilson/Local Journalism Initiative)
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