Fonthill dentist targets $10,000 in Feed Niagara fundraiser

It all begun again in 2019, when Dr. Peter Fritz, a Fonthill dentist and periodontist, was in the Himalayas, mountaineering up to the Mount Everest base camp in Nepal.

“In Katmandu [Nepal’s capital] I found out smaller retailers marketing lovely Cashmere scarves, built from the tummy hair of little one goats in the location. I purchased a bunch of them for family members and good friends,” said Fritz. “I was back at the Everest foundation camp again this yr on yet another experience, and looked up my scarf man, named Keisha, who has a Fairtrade manufacturing unit with about 90 workforce, where they make the scarves and distribute them all more than the world. It’s a extremely moral business which supports a variety of charities.”

Fairtrade is a term developed to assist producers in acquiring countries accomplish sustainable and equitable trade interactions. The Fairtrade movement brings together the payment of higher rates to exporters with improved social and environmental requirements for employees and the household region.

Cashmere wool has been employed to make yarn, textiles, and apparel for hundreds of decades, and is collected all through the spring moulting season when the goats obviously lose their wintertime coat.

“Keisha explained to me he was planning to come to Toronto in August for the Canadian Countrywide Exhibition, the place he experienced reserved a booth to provide his scarves,” reported Fritz. “However, he later contacted me to say that his stock had been delivered to Toronto, but his booth area had been cancelled. I made available to operate a pop-up shop at my exercise in Fonthill.”

Fritz’s son, a commerce college student at college, ran the a few-working day scarf sale — named Fleece and Floss — with support from a couple buddies.

“It was a big strike,” explained Fritz, “but we continue to experienced a whole lot of inventory remaining. Alternatively of shipping and delivery it back again to Asia, we resolved to do a fundraiser for Feed Niagara, a consortium of 10 regional food banking institutions which share the frequent target of addressing hunger in our local community. We have established up a cashmere scarf boutique at my place of work on Freeway 20, which will operate until finally Christmas. We also have some cashmere sweaters.”

The products and solutions on present vary in price tag from $50 to $400. The boutique attributes strings of colourful Himalayan prayer flags adorning the walls.

“When you go to Mount Everest, these flags are hanging almost everywhere together the way. They are supposed to convey great karma. It is really a incredibly spiritual tradition,” said Fritz.

All of the solutions for sale are certified 100 p.c cashmere, explained Fritz.

“To detect if it is true cashmere, carefully pull a several threads, and light-weight them on fireplace. If it turns to ash, it’s real cashmere. If it burns extra like a candle wick, then you know that the item consists of artificial fibres,” encouraged Fritz.

The boutique is open 8 AM to 4 PM, Monday through Friday, at Fritz’s dental observe, found at 165 Freeway 20 West in Fonthill, across from Mossimo’s.