St. Luke's Anglican Church and Community Centre
St. Luke's Anglican Church in Palermo has received a grant from the Ontario Trillium Fund's (OTF) Resilient Communities Fund.
The grant is valued at $73,600, and the money will be used to assist in their Community Centre's recovery from the impacts of COVID-19 and in recruiting new volunteers for St. Luke's weekly Nourishing Neighbours food program.
Last week, local Oakville-North Burlington MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos met with St. Luke's Anglican Church and Community Centre to thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) for their support of St. Luke's food security programs and other community programs.
"The Resilient Communities Fund has been a tremendous help to us in recovering from the effects of the pandemic," said the Rev. Garfield Adams, Director of St. Luke's Anglican Church, and Community Centre.
An important aspect of this project has been revitalizing the weekly Nourishing Neighbours food program at St.Luke's. During the pandemic closures, a small but dedicated team of volunteers, working with donations from Food for Life, continued providing essential fresh groceries to local people in need.
"When our facilities closed during the lockdowns, our income declined severely, and we were forced to reduce our staff hours," explained Rev. Adams. "Once we reopened, it became difficult for the team to manage the growing number of returning community groups and neighbours from the community who are in need."
He continues, "This grant has let us expand the Community Centre's hours again and offer better service to the community. It has put us back on track towards stability."
With the reopening of the Community Centre, Nourishing Neighbours needed new volunteer support to adapt its operations. The Resilient Communities Fund has enabled St. Luke’s to hire an additional staff member in charge of volunteer management, who has helped to recruit and organize many new volunteers.
These volunteers are now giving greater service than before to approximately 55 local families in need per week, in partnership with Food for Life.
St. Luke's is, "glad to be growing as a community hub in northwest Oakville. It is committed to offering programs and events that support the social, cultural, recreational and health needs of the wider community that is inclusive and safe for all."
"St. Luke's is a community hub serving the needs of many people in our community," says Oakville North-Burlington MPP Effie Triantafilopoulos. "The investment of $73,600 by the Ontario Trillium Fund will support the recovery from the impact of the pandemic allowing many more individuals and families to benefit from the offered programs and services."
The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), an agency of the Government of Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations celebrates 40 years of grant-making in Ontario and making a lasting impact in communities.
Last year, OTF invested over $110 million into 1,022 community projects and partnerships, which included funding for the Government of Ontario’s Community Building Fund.
