100 WWCG Pushes Back Against COVID Isolation By Supporting Torchlight Services

Torchlight Services has been working with individuals with disabilities since 1974 to ensure that each person is able to reach their full potential, helping them achieve full participation and inclusion within our community, and allowing the community in turn to celebrate their potential and citizenship.

Torchlight strives to positively impact each individual’s quality of life by offering a number of day programs. The participants work on honing their daily living skills, and experience personal growth through volunteer opportunities, recreational, cultural and social activities, and attention to health and fitness.

There is no doubt that the restrictions surrounding COVID-19 have led to an increased sense of isolation for everyone. For those in our community with disabilities, those feelings have been particularly acute.

Knowing how vital a sense of connection is to their participants’ health and well being, Torchlight went right to work to create their Connect Virtual Programs, providing a supervised, inclusive platform to help make connections, bolster friendships, and diminish that sense of isolation.

Their Virtual Program team provides 1-1 interaction to assist and support the participants in accessing the programs, while simultaneously offering critical person-centred support and engagement.

In response to the need to continue that program for our most vulnerable citizens, 100 Women Who Care Guelph has chosen Torchlight Services as the recipient of their $10,000+ donation this quarter.

To find more information on the fundraising efforts of 100 WWCG, or to become a member and join in contributing to local charities, visit their website at www.100womenwhocareguelph.com.

100 WWCG Helps North End Harvest Market Combat Food Insecurity

The North End Harvest Market, dedicated to providing food insecure families with fresh fruit and vegetables, was given a boost with a $10,000+ donation from 100 Women Who Care Guelph at their latest quarterly meeting.

Food insecurity in Guelph has been on the rise for the past year as COVID continues to relentlessly impact our society.

With a Public Health Inspector safety approval plan in place, the volunteer run North End Harvest Market was able to pivot to curb side pickup of pre-selected food bags, as well as institute a home delivery service for those unable to drive to their location at Waverley Drive Public School.

The need is so great they have expanded their catchment area outside of the north end, and have increased their weekly support from 50 families pre-COVID to 160 families today, with the budget rising from $600 to $1500 a week as a result.

Healthy food should not be one of the things anyone has to give up because of COVID.

As we all work together to see each other through these difficult times, 100 WWCG is delighted to help support the efforts of the North End Harvest Market.

To find more information on the fundraising efforts of 100 WWCG, or to become a member and join in contributing to local charities, visit their website at www.100womenwhocareguelph.com.

100 WWCG Supports Chalmers Community Services Centre

As COVID-19 continues to race around the globe, and our society continues to experience massive disruption, Chalmers Community Services Centre is the latest local charity to be supported by 100 Women Who Care Guelph.

Food insecurity has become even more of an issue throughout the pandemic, and CCSC’s Food Pantry program is struggling to keep up with demand. In 2020 CCSC served 11,914 guests, many of them for the first time. That amounts to over 300 visits per week to the Pantry.

Chalmers does not require proof of need from any of their guests, simply a first and last name on their first visit, thus removing any barriers to accessing their services.

The “community” part of CCSC is central to their purpose, with many guests in turn joining the army of over 90 volunteers. Volunteers great guests outside (masked and physically distanced) and chat with them until it is their turn to enter and choose their food, helping create that sense of community and belonging so important in these difficult times.

With this most recent $10,000 donation from 100 Women Who Care Guelph, CCSC will be able to provide 645 full grocery baskets, almost a month’s worth for every person coming through their door. 100 WWCG is proud to support this community effort.

Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to join 100 WWCG and help support those in need in our community.

100 WWCG Supports the Guelph Black Heritage Society

The Guelph Black Heritage Society is the latest charitable organization to be funded by 100 Women Who Care Guelph.

In these troubled times, there is an increasing demand from Guelph residents to explore  Black History, and to develop an understanding of the social issues of importance to Black Canadian communities. Heritage Hall, located at 83 Essex Street, began as the Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church and was founded by Black migrants, many of whom were fugitive slaves from the American south who came here via the Underground Railroad. Their history in Guelph is long and rich, and the Society is a valuable resource as our community looks for knowledge and understanding.

The Guelph Black Heritage Society has created a project called “Change Starts Now” in response to this increased interest. Educational programming events at Heritage Hall, as well as on-line information resources, are in the process of being developed. They are also working on a resource library, a treasure trove of information to be made available to our local school boards. In addition, the donation from 100 WWCG will provide a badly needed new front door for Heritage Hall, symbolizing a “Welcome” to all.

It is important for everyone to be able to tell their own story. This donation will ensure that the Guelph Black Heritage Society’s story, detailing Black history from the Underground Railroad right through to today from a local perspective, can be widely disseminated throughout our community.

Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to join 100 WWCG and help support those in need in our community.

100 WWCG Provides COVID-19 Support to the Children’s Foundation

Tough times call for creative solutions, and these are indeed tough times. When our society was put on lock down, local charities saw an immediate increase in need, and yet had many of their usual fundraising events cancelled. 100 Women Who Care Guelph created a virtual meeting format for July, and is delighted to offer their latest donation to the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington to help fill that gap.

The goal of the Children’s Foundation is to nurture the well-being of the whole child – physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally. They have created two new programs to address issues made even more urgent by COVID-19.

Many children rely on food programs at school as a primary source of nourishment for the day. With schools being closed, and those nutritious meals off the table, the Children’s Foundations created their Fresh Food for Kids program, which delivers 540 family food kits weekly to over 1,400 children and youth. Due to urgent food insecurity needs, this vital program will continue through the summer months.

There is no doubt the social isolation we are all feeling is even more potent for children. With so many recreational programs cancelled this summer, the Children’s Foundation has created a Free to Grow at Home initiative, providing kits comprised of books, games, puzzles, arts and crafts, and outdoor games to bring fun, creativity, and learning to kids this summer.

With this donation from 100 WWCG, the Children’s Foundation plans to provide 150 recreational kits, significantly reducing their waiting list, as well as to bring nutritious food to 100 kids this summer.

Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to join 100 WWCG and help support those in need in our community.

100 Women Who Care Guelph Contribute to Food4Kids Guelph

100 WWCG quite literally “stepped up to the plate” by voting to support Food4Kids Guelph at their latest quarterly meeting.

While there are many programs in Guelph that offer in-school breakfast or lunch programs, a gap remains on the weekends. Food4Kids, a charity begun here in 2017 and run entirely by volunteers, works to bridge that gap by providing healthy, nutritious food for children who are facing severe food insecurity at home.

There have been as many as 500 children within the city of Guelph that have been identified as being food insecure. Parents may often struggle with work commitments or financial restraints which make it difficult to access food banks and food pantries. Going home for the weekend and facing empty cupboards and fridges, and the empty stomachs that come with that, is daunting for the children. That’s where Food4Kids comes in.

Every week, the volunteers assemble food packages, each of which costs $500 per child per school year, containing a mix of fresh and dried goods. Those packages are then delivered to the school on a Friday, and are placed into the backpack of the child to take home. Once a child is identified as being food insecure, the schools ensure that all children in that household are included so there is enough food for everyone. They are currently feeding more than 167 children from 10 schools, with more on the waiting list.

The benefits of adequate and consistent nutrition on the immediate, short, and long-term developmental outcomes for children is immense. Chronic hunger affects everything from physical and mental health, to academic success.

100 WWCG contributed their latest $13,000+ donation towards reducing child hunger in our city.

Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com for more information or to join 100 WWCG and help support those in need in our community.