Moms, friends, family - Reif weekend market had something for everyone

The Mother’s Day Market that took place on the weekend at Reif Estate Winery raised $2,000 for Birchway Niagara, and isn’t finished yet.

The winery will be selling its limited-edition Mom wine until Sunday to raise more funds for Birchway, which was also represented at the event to spread awareness of what it offers. That includes support programs and services for those experiencing domestic abuse, information on legal help, about staying safe, finding shelter, and help for children as well as those in LGBTQ+ families.

The two-day event saw some perfect weather, with more than 40 vendors scattered around the winery, live music, and several activities to celebrate moms, who came out with friends, family members, and sometimes three generations of moms and daughters.

As well as artisans selling their wares, there were some not-for-profits raising funds for good causes, including Tanya Rice with Animal Rescue and NOTL Cats Rescue hoping to save the life of a sweet, beautiful year-old cat named Prince, who is being paralyzed by a benign tumour pressing on his spinal cord. Rice was also raising money to help build a larger enclosure at PetValu to showcase more cats and kittens looking for their forever homes.

Rice and other volunteers from Community Initiative for Animal Rescue and NOTL Cats have a charity bake sale in support of Prince coming up Sunday, May 19 at the Husky on York Road from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with all kinds of goodies for sale.

Selling hand-crafted quilts mostly made of vintage fabrics, as well as T-shirts and hoodies inspired by local history and communities, was Clare Cameron. A busy mother of three, Harold, seven, Adelaide, five, and a baby daughter, Freya, just eight months old, Cameron, a former NOTL councillor, also works full-time for the city of Burlington. She was looking forward to celebrating with them and husband Mac at the end of the day, over a dinner of barbecued burgers.

She took up the hobby “as a good stress-reliever,” she said.. “It’s really great for that, and when you’re done you have a product that is useful. Our products have gone all over the world.

Her website can be found at townshipniagara.ca.