(Jacinta Cillis-Asquith, a Stittsville photographer, captures a beautiful rare photo of a mother fox nursing her kits. Her many photos of nature appear in her 2024 calendar on sale now with proceeds supporting the Stittsville Food Bank. Photos: submitted)
With many food banks currently facing challenging times as more residents use their services, every little bit helps in supporting local organizations that assist those in need. Jacinta Cillis-Asquith of JacintaPICS is selling photo calendars to raise money for one such organization: the Stittsville Food Bank. This will be Jacinta’s third year organizing this fundraiser. Last year she was able to donate $1,000 to the Stittsville Food Bank through the sales of her 2023 calendars.
Having upped the donated portion of sales from 50% to 75%, Jacinta has set a goal to donate $3,000 before Christmas. While in previous years Jacinta has made her donation after the new year, this year she hopes to finalize her donations before the holiday season. “I would really like to get the cash to the food bank well in advance of Christmas so it can be used to buy the things that are not or are rarely donated to help families, especially over the holidays.”
The 2024 JacintaPICS calendar features twelve full-colour photos of local wildlife:
- January – Downy Woodpecker
- February – Snowy Owl
- March – Baby Red Fox
- April – Robin and Baby
- May – Humming Bird
- June – Red Cardinal
- July – Deer (Fawn)
- August – Snapping Turtle
- September – White-Footed Mouse
- October – American Goldfinch
- November – Canada Geese
- December – Blue Jay
Jacinta is particularly fond of her September photo, which captures a White-Footed Mouse sitting on top of a flower. “I have never seen something so cute, nor so unusual to see! My twelve-year-old saw it and pointed the creature out to me, and thankfully I was ready with my camera.” Another favourite is the cover photo and March photo of a baby fox, whose family Jacinta was delighted to watch for a while, “I was able to observe the mom for many hours and found her nursing her tribe. Not a common sight, as usually by the time you start seeing the little fox kits running around, they are weaned – they only nurse until about 4-5 weeks.”
The beautiful wildlife captured on camera would make a wonderful Christmas gift for a loved one. “Many people purchase my calendars as Christmas gifts, and it would be cool that, in a way, it is a double gift. The person buying the calendar is getting a beautiful item, and someone in our community will receive help,” says Jacinta, “a win/win!”
Each calendar sells for $19.99, meaning $15 from each sale goes to the Stittsville Food Bank. The calendars are available for purchase online, with free delivery available to Stittsville residents (use code: STITTSVILLE). Holy Spirit Catholic Church also has calendars available in their office (during business hours, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Monday to Friday) should anyone want to pick one (or two!) up.