100 WWCG Supports the Marginalized Through the Guelph Community Health Van

The marginalized in our society are among the most at risk of contracting and experiencing serious effects from COVID-19. Whether the marginalization stems from homelessness, mental health, substance use or chronic poverty, access to critical services for this group has been severely impacted by the pandemic. 

Sanguen Community Health, based in Waterloo, has provided support to those in need in Guelph through the Guelph Community Health Van since October 2016. 

The marginalized often feel invisible or unwanted. When so many doors have been closed throughout the pandemic, the Van staff have been there to serve the most vulnerable and isolated members of our community by meeting them where they are.

The Van is staffed by an interdisciplinary and multi-agency team made up of a Harm Reduction Coordinator, Peer Support Worker, Public Health Nurse, and a Social Support Coordinator.

On top of offering harm reduction supplies, food and basic hygiene items, the Van provides nursing supports such as wound care, vaccines, STI testing, and peer and social supports to this vulnerable group.

As the pandemic stretches on through another cold winter, no one should be left behind. 100 Women Who Care Guelph, dedicated to supporting local charities, has chosen the Guelph Community Health Van to be the recipient of their $10,000+ donation this quarter in support of our community’s most at risk members. 

The 100 WWCG donation will go towards purchasing some of the most urgently needed winter items, including sleeping bags, warm clothing, tarps, blankets, and hygiene supplies.

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 Invests in the YMCA PD Day, School Break Camp Program

Life has become much more complex for everyone with the advent of COVID-19, but none more so than for those who have children.

Working parents unable to work from home have faced the particular challenge of finding adequate care for their children during the week, when sending them to school is not an option.

For those already facing financial hurdles, needing to stay home with your children can mean risking losing your job or not being able to bring home enough money to make ends meet.

While parents face one kind of stress, children face another. Children desperately need connection and socialization with others to retain their physical and mental health, to keep on an even keel during challenging and unsettling times. Never has this need been greater.

The Guelph YMCA offers their support for both parents and children through their PD Day and School Break Day Camp. For the ten PD days and five days of March break this school year, parents can rest easy knowing their children are receiving quality care.

This Day Camp experience is offered to all children ages 4-12 years, providing a safe place to have essential childhood experiences while learning new skills and building resilience and confidence.

Last year, the YMCA in Guelph was able to provide subsidized camp experiences for 97 families who otherwise would not have been able to afford to send their children to Day Camp.

To ensure that the financial costs of the Day Camp are not an obstacle this year, 100 Women Who Care Guelph is pleased to invest their $10,000+ donation this quarter in families, helping provide necessary childcare when parents need to work.

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 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.

100 Women Who Care Guelph Helps At Risk Teens

At their most recent quarterly meeting, 100 WWCG chose to support The Children First Fund of Family & Children’s Services of Guelph and Wellington County.

In January 2018, Family & Children’s Services were handed the additional role of supporting 16-18 year olds who are no longer eligible for foster care, and thus struggling to make it on their own. Children in that situation have no parental or family support, and find themselves adrift, living on their own with extremely limited financial resources. They are at risk of homelessness, mental health issues, and drugs, and can fall prey to human trafficking.

There are 90 such children in our community.

By investing their $13,000+ donation in the Youth Education and Transition Support program, 100 WWCG was able to offer assistance in two very different ways.

Firstly, the funds will be used to support kids in two different streams. If the child is going on to college or university, they will be provided with a $400 set-up kit consisting of a backpack and other necessary supplies. In the second stream, where kids have found work, a $1000 worth of kitchen supplies, bedding, towels, and furniture will help them transition to living on their own.

That is the easily quantifiable gift 100 WWCG was able to offer. Of equal importance, but far more ephemeral and long lasting, is the emotional impact the donation will have on the lives of the children. Many of them have a limited vision for themselves, accompanied by poor self worth. The one lesson they have learned, and they have learned it very well, is that they are on their own.

The second gift 100 WWCG was able to offer was belief: belief that each child is worthy of support; belief that each one can succeed; belief that there is much more to them than where circumstance has landed them; belief that there is a path to a bright future.

Who knows where that gift will lead?

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, a grassroots fundraising organization, has donated $250,635 to local charities over the past five years.

 The Guelph chapter launched in October of 2014 with 99 members, who selected Hospice Wellington and their Art Therapy program to receive their first collective donation. Five years and 20 donations later, the membership stands at around 150 members, and it was the latest donation to Hospice Wellington for their sun room revitalization that saw the group surpass the $250,000 dollar mark.

 Between the two Hospice donations the group has supported a wide variety of local charities, including the Guelph Public Library, Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre, Ed Video, Rainbow Day Camp, Alzheimer Society, North End Harvest Market, and the Drop In Centre, to name a few. A full list, along with the heartfelt thank you speeches from the chosen charities, can be found at www.100womenwhocareguelph.com.

 The concept is elegant, the impact enormous. Each member commits to attending a one hour meeting and making a $100 donation four times a year, with the donation going to a collectively chosen local charity. Guelph wins, every time.

 Thanks to a committed and passionate membership, 100 WWCG will continue to have a big impact in Guelph as they begin their sixth year at their next meeting, to be held at the Delta Hotel and Conference Centre on Thursday, October 17th at 7:00pm.

 New members are always welcome. There is no such thing as too many caring women in a room.

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