CFSEA awards spring Smart and Caring grants

“People will get a large container, soil, a tomato plant, seeds for some herbs and vegetables and then they get an instruction video and a sheet of instructions as well to teach them how to put it together and how to take care of it and grow some of their own food,” she says.

Van Dyke says it will be particularly useful for people who don’t own their home or that live in a place where they can’t have an in-ground garden.

“So all you need is a step or a balcony and it’s a lot more convenient for people that don’t have that gardening space or maybe the skills. Maybe they don’t want to take on a huge gardening project but they’d like to learn to start growing their own food and this is a really good opportunity for them.”

Van Dyke says a lot of thought was put into what went into the kits. She tried to choose items that would be easiest for novice gardeners to handle and would give the best return on their effort, things like high-producing cherry tomatoes and herbs and veggies that can be harvested frequently and they add a little zip to meals you’re already making, she said.

“We want people to come out of it feeling a real sense of accomplishment that they’ve learned how to do something, that they can be a lot more resilient in their everyday lives.”

She added the community foundation has always been a wonderful supporter of Community Food Connections Association.

Each spring and fall, the foundation awards its Smart and Caring Community Grants. They are to enhance the belonging of all citizens and strengthen the non-profit and voluntary sectors.

Executive director Sue Edwards says “the impact of every donation contributes to our growing endowment which permits our grant committee to be responsive to the needs of charities and non-profit organizations in our area.”

The Medicine Hat Pregnancy Support Centre received $3,000 for a virtual life skills project.

Teresa Kleinknecht, a registered social worker at the centre, says the focus is to provide client families with the opportunity for tangible skills development in an interactive online support service through cooking and sewing classes once a month.

“We feel that when we can provide these tools the clients have the opportunity to learn the techniques just to ease the pressure of meal planning for their families and be able to prepare easy and healthy meal options,” she says. “The sewing class allows for creation of handmade projects to meet their own daily needs.”

Other grant recipients

Medicine Hat Women’s Shelter Society – $10,000, Safe Summer Adventure

Town of Redcliff Library Board – $1,300, New Copier

Brooks & District Museum & Historical Society – 3,016.50, Gen2Gen

Friends of the Youngstown School – $2,500, Playground

40 Mile Park Foundation – $2,400, Playground

Oyen Childcare Society – $3,650, Daycare

Foremost Agricultural Society – $10,000, Tractor

Redcliff Action for Youth Society – $2,600, Online Organization Strategy

Oyen & District Historical Society – $3,500, Crossroads Museum

Brooks Animal Protection Society – $10,000, washer and dryer

Avalon Equine – $6,500, Equine Interaction Program

Portions of some grants came from the CFSEA’s Community Funds and Field of Interest programs.

by Chris Brown

CFSEA awards spring Smart and Caring grants

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