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Social services board announces food security fund grants

Eighteen Thunder Bay-area organizations will share nearly $780,000
Food kit at Our Kids Count
A food kit at Our Kids Count in Thunder Bay (submitted photo)

THUNDER BAY — Eighteen organizations have qualified for support from the Thunder Bay District Social Services Administration Board's food security fund this year.

TBDSSAB on Tuesday announced food security grants totalling nearly $780,000.

That's a significant increase from the approximately $470,000 distributed last year.

The food security fund is a local initiative under the provincially-funded Homelessness Prevention Program.

TBDSSAB CAO Bill Bradica said "With the increased need in the past two years resulting from income insecurity and rising food costs, we are grateful for the opportunity to support our communities by allocating more funding to food security."

Board chair Lucy Kloosterhuis added that the local program is "a perfect example of how we can adapt provincial funding to address the needs of our communities."

Recipients this year include:

Urban Abbey $91,000
Our Kids Count $89,000
RFDA $88,000
Shelter House $81,900
Evergreen A United Neighbourhood $75,000
Rural Cupboard Food Bank $66,000
Matawa First Nations Management $50,050
Salvation Army $45,960
Elevate NWO $38,000
NWO Women's Centre $31,017
Roots to Harvest $21,945
Dew Drop Inn $19,637
Elizabeth Fry Society $19,470
Marjorie House $15,561
John Howard Society $15,000
Marathon Food Bank $13,000
Geraldton Family Resource Centre $11,500
PACE $7,000

 

Linda Bruins, executive director at Evergreen A United Neighbourhood, said the organization buys and cooks food in bulk, allowing it to feed hundreds of clients weekly.

At Our Kids Count, a family recipient said "The Good Lunch Kit and the Good Food Box Program has made it so that I don't have to choose between paying my bills and feeding my child. It has meant that he has snacks for his lunch and better options for his meal during the day."

The parent added "When we saw peaches this month he actually cried because he was so excited. That's a treat we don't often get."




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