$40,000 in Emergency Community Support Fund

$40,000 in Emergency Community Support Fund (ECSF) grants awarded to charitable and non-profit organizations serving citizens in the Lac du Bonnet area.

On May 19, 2020, the Government of Canada introduced the Emergency Community Support Fund (ECSF) to provide additional and much needed assistance to charities and non-profit organizations serving vulnerable populations affected by the Pandemic. The program was administered by the United Way, Canadian Red Cross and Community Foundations of Canada, of which the Lac du Bonnet & District Charitable Foundation is a partner.

 

The Lac du Bonnet Foundation is pleased to announce that, through the ECSF program, $40,000 in grants was recently awarded to five different charities that serve the needs of those living in Lac du Bonnet and the surrounding area.

 

The LDB Foundation awarded HEROS Alliance: Helping Everyone Reach Out to Support $20,000 to help address the increased need for mental health support in our community. Formally known as the Family Committee, the group focuses on developing resources and services to support people in the region in the areas of community well-being, food security, and human health and well-being.

“With increase pressures of lost wages, unemployment, lack of access to resources, lack of social contact and trusted support groups, people are in greater need of support to maintain and develop the health they need,” says HEROS Alliance Co-chair, Leslie Wakeman.

“With the help of the ECSF grant, our mental health project will expand to include group support this fall while continuing individual counselling, referral to crisis services, and on-going support through check-ins and referrals after counselling is complete.”

The Lac du Bonnet Food Bank was awarded $9000 to improve safety and capacity as the demand for food bank services has increased due to the economic impacts of Covid-19.

“Our current location needs to be upgraded to expand our capacity, allow for social distancing and ensure adequate cleaning procedures to meet provincial guidelines,” says Denis Godin, Facility Coordinator. “Our goal is to safely expand our capacity by 25% which should allow us to meet the expected demands on the food bank.”

The Lac du Bonnet Youth Recreation Centre was awarded $9400 to upgrade their facilities, staffing and procedures to meet Covid-19 regulations to better allow them to serve children in our community.

According to Denis Godin, Chairperson of the Youth Centre Board, “Covid-19 has upended our standard programming and shut down the majority of our previous activities. The highest priority is to hire another staff member to allow us to open programming to more youth. By encouraging time sharing inside activities and offering outdoor supervised activities, we can safely increase user capacity to 20-25 per evening.”

A grant of $1000 was provided to the Canadian Liver Foundation and one for $600 was awarded to the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB).  In both cases, these organizations serve vulnerable members of our community whose special circumstances have isolated them from accessing regular services during the Pandemic.  Increased on-line support, phone calls, and virtual counseling and programming sessions are ways that these organizations have adapted their services to support those in need.

The Lac du Bonnet Foundation is proud to have had the opportunity to administer the ESCF program in our community and to provide funding that helps support vulnerable citizens during this unprecedented time.

Press Release; August 6, 2020
Submitted by Janice Leroux
Communications Chairperson