Eleanor Land stands by her bread makers. (submitted photo/Eleanor Land)

By Ian Gustafson

Baking For Good

Eleanor, the golden bread winner

Apr 8, 2020 | 3:32 PM

A local 79-year-old woman is doing her part in preventing anyone from going hungry in Prince Albert.

Eleanor Land is baking bread for a non-profit organization in Prince Albert called Community Cares Kitchen.

The Community Cares Kitchen provides meals for the community’s elderly, vulnerable members, and for families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

She explained for 30 years she has baked her own bread and two weeks ago she baked 10 loaves of bread for her daughter who was unable to pick them up. She didn’t know what to do with all of it and was told to make a donation to the community kitchen. Since then, she’s become a regular contributor after the kitchen organizers agreed to provide her with all the ingredients.

“It’s something I thoroughly enjoy doing and I’m retired and with the isolation I thought you know it’s something I can do, and somebody can use it,” Land said. “I enjoy it, what can I say? I’ve made as many as 20 loaves in a day.”

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She currently has four bread makers and can create between 50 to 60 loaves of bread per week.

“Yesterday I was baking bread and my oven totally quit; the bottom coil would not work and the top one would not go out,” Land said. “And so, this meant my bread making was coming to an end.”

The Community Cares Kitchen put a post on Facebook looking for a new oven for Land to continue baking and they raised over $500 for the kitchen and for a new oven.

“It’s very humbling that people are doing this for me,” Land said.

She explained it’s not strenuous work. Before the bread goes into the oven, the ingredients are placed in the bread makers to rise for an hour.

“In between I’ll sit down, and I’ll read, or I’ll work on jigsaw puzzles, or I’ll watch TV,” she said. “It’s enjoyable work that’s not that time consuming but it’s for a benefit.”

Natalie Guimond, the director of INDIGital Saskatchewan, said the Community Cares Kitchen hit its fundraising goal to help Land get a new oven. She explained Land came on board to help on day five of the kitchen’s three-week existence.

“It’s very instantaneous. It’s very marvelous to see the community watching the page and responding very quickly,” Guimond said. “As of right now we have raised enough money for the stove.”

Guimond explained Land was very sad when her stove broke.

“When we got off the phone, it was just immediate. I needed to create something that was going to get us to the point where we could get her a stove,” she said. “I’m a non-profit so everything that I’ve received to run this kitchen has been through donation.”

“It’s the community that really cares, it really does,” Guimond added.

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Ian.gustafson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @iangustafson12