February active month for PEIWI
The provincial Women’s Institute is promoting several activities and themes this month, including the provincewide Taking Care of Women’s Business Campaign, Period - 28 Day Campaign, along with WI Founder’s Month and Canada’s Agriculture Day.
WI is also encouraging Islanders to wear purple on Feb. 17 to bring awareness to preventing family violence as part of Family Violence Prevention Week.
The provincial board wishes to highlight Canada Agriculture Day on Feb. 23 and hopes all celebrate food and farmers by visiting www. CdnAgDay.ca and finding inspiring ways to honour the agriculture industry on Prince Edward Island.
The board of directors is also encouraging visits to PEIWI’s Facebook page on Feb. 23 for the board’s first feature of Heard It Through the Grapevine – a new segment spotlighting farming families in P.E.I. through the eyes of WI members.
Also, to commemorate the agriculture industry this month, PEIWI is calling for nominations for the WI Woman in Agriculture Recognition Award. This award, which is given to an Island woman making a major contribution to the P.E.I. agriculture sector, is presented bi-annually by the P.E.I. Women’s Institute. This award will be announced at the annual provincial convention in May. Branches can submit nominations by March 31, or members of the public can contact the office at wi@gov.pe.ca or 902-3684860 for further information.
Other scholarships and awards are available by visiting the Resource Page on PEIWI.ca.
In the WI calendar, February is Founder’s Month, celebrating the formation of Women’s Institute by founder Adelaide Hoodless. Hoodless was asked to speak at a ladies night of the Farmer’s Institute in Ontario on Feb. 12, 1897. Her purpose was to “broaden the knowledge of domestic science and agriculture for women as well as to socialize”.
On P.E.I., the first branch, Alpha York, began in 1911 and is part of the over 70 branches currently on Prince Edward Island. Over a century later, WI is a global network of vibrant women with Canada noted as the founding country.
Founder's Day celebrations have been altered slightly for this year on P.E.I. Instead of in-person leadership sessions this month, the provincial board announced a Founder's Day card making contest with cash prizes for branches. Cards can be made for any occasion, any mixed media and any size or design. Cards will later be sent to senior's homes and long-term care centres across the Island. Cards must be submitted to the PEIWI office by March 31.
Other events this month include the WI’s annual Taking Care of Women’s Business. Period. 28-day campaign. This is a month-long event addressing the need for feminine hygiene products for P.E.I. food banks. The provincial WI board is challenging all WI branches, organizations, families and individuals to collect product or make monetary donations. Donators are also encouraged to send in pictures of their collections on the WI’s and the Taking Care of Women’s Business Facebook pages.
To be a part of the 28-day campaign, purchase products and drop them off over during February to any Murphy’s Pharmacies across P.E.I., Main Street Pharmasave in Souris or the WI Office at 40 Enman Cres., Charlottetown. Online donations can also be made at URHM.org.
Each year, the entire inventory collected is distributed to food banks across the Island within the weeks of the collection. Since 2015, over $25,000 worth of product has been donated.
Also taking place this month is the final round of the WI Island Product Cooking Contest for those in Grades 7-12. Due to health measures, WI's traditional in-person cook-off is taking place with modifications this year. To complete the cooking component, the board of directors of the Women's Institute is requesting finalists submit a short presentation by their favourite sharing platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or Powerpoint. Participants will showcase Island ingredients and the cooking process, with their final product available online to further showcase their talents and P.E.I. farm products.