Timmins Good Food Market paused amid funding crunch
Anti-Hunger Coalition Timmins has cut its Good Food Market amid a funding shortfall. The program, offering discounted produce, is on hold until grants are secured. The organization seeks donations and is planning new fundraising efforts to address budget needs. Lydia Chubak reports.
The Anti-Hunger Coalition Timmins has been forced to scale back some of its programs after struggling to secure sufficient funding. Among the affected initiatives is the Good Food Market, which has been put on hold until the organization can secure a new grant.
'Due to just high competition, there's more and more people applying for these types of grants,' said the charity's executive director Kelsey MacDonnell, explaining the organization's challenges.
Good Food Market's impact and funding history
Anti-Hunger Coalition Timmins - Good Food Market
Anti-Hunger Coalition Timmins has had to put a pause on its Good Food Market program until it can secure funding to operate it. A previous market event is shown in this file photo. (File photo/CTV News Northern Ontario)
For the past four years, the Good Food Market has provided residents with access to affordable fresh produce. The program was initially launched with a three-year grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Two other funding agencies stepped in to support the initiative for a fourth year, but securing additional resources has proven difficult.
'The feedback we got from the funders (was) our applications were great, it's just so competitive; they have to make choices, and we weren't successful,' said MacDonnell.
Staff reductions and ongoing struggles
The funding shortfall has also led to staffing cuts, with two employees being let go.
'It's very tough; we feel it,' MacDonnell said.
A local volunteer with the Ontario Trillium Foundation's grant review committee provided context to CTV News.
'We're still in a COVID hangover and the number of applications requesting funds is exponentially higher than what can be granted.'
— Ontario Trillium Foundation, grant review committee volunteer
Exploring alternative solutions
Despite the setbacks, MacDonnell remains committed to finding new funding sources and exploring different ways to deliver fresh produce to the community. She expressed gratitude for local grocers who have already offered support.
In the meantime, the Anti-Hunger Coalition Timmins will continue operating its other programs, including the Good Food Box initiative, community gardens and cooking workshops.
'We just want to create a space for people to connect and find similarities and feel like they're not alone,' MacDonnell said.
Fundraising efforts and future plans
To help bridge the financial gap, the organization has launched a charity fundraiser. MacDonnell and a colleague have pledged to shave their heads if they can raise $20,000 by Sept. 5.
'Yeah, that's where we're at and that's the goal we need to make just to bring our donations up to where they usually are and just general donations at this time of the year,' the director said.
Looking ahead, the coalition plans to introduce a 50-50 draw in the fall as another way to generate much-needed support.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Sportsnet tennis debacle reveals the have and have nots in Rogers sports empire
As a popular Canadian athlete and Olympic medallist, appearing at the downtown dome to toss out a ceremonial first pitch prior to a recent Blue Jays home game, the cross-promotion made sense for tennis player Felix Auger-Aliassime. Article content A Rogers-sponsored athlete at the Rogers Centre for a Rogers-owned pro team to help pump up an event in which Rogers is the presenting sponsor. Article content Article content Article content All the more reason, then, for those in the Auger-Aliassime camp and Tennis Canada to be miffed at how the Rogers-owned network broadcasting this week's National Bank Open at York University dropped the ball. Article content Sportsnet's decision not to produce its coverage of opening week action of the NBO in both Toronto (men) and Montreal (women) has not sat well with many of the principals involved with Canada's marquee event for the sport. Article content Though reluctant to criticize their broadcast partner directly and publicly, behind the scene Tennis Canada and tournament officials are miffed at Sportsnet's cost-cutting moves during the early rounds, opting for the ATP world feed for the first week of play. Article content (On Saturday through next weekend's finals, Sportsnet's regular, top-notch tennis crews were back in action in both Montreal and Toronto, as were the network's own producers.) Article content Even that development has come with some trimmed corners, however. There will be production crews on site at both venues, as well as those calling the action. Studio coverage will be from Rogers headquarters, however, eliminating the possibility of big-name players dropping by the set for interviews. Article content Article content The most egregious shortfall took place on Wednesday, however, when Auger-Aliassime's match, a tense straight-set loss to Hungary's Fabian Marozsan, was not shown at all on Sportsnet. Tennis Canada officials had purposely scheduled the popular Canadian in prime time and on the stadium court to maximize the audience — a win-win exposure wise. Article content Article content Where the communication broke down between Sportsnet and ATP's in-house folks remains to be seen. Article content 'Obviously what happened, we didn't want that to happen,' Hale said, according to the Canadian Press. 'We're going to have those discussions (on Sportsnet producing the full event in future years.) We've already started it. So I think there will be a better solution going forward as we move along.'
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Taber corn hits the shelves in Calgary after slow harvest
Taber corn is now for sale at Calgary grocery stores. Taber corn is now available in Calgary. Producers say the crop is looking good, despite a slower than expected harvest. Taber corn is known for its sweetness and quality, due to perfect growing conditions. To ensure you are getting the real deal, make sure you ask the vendor to show you a certificate of authenticity. It should contain the Taber farm's name and phone number. The corn is expected to be available until September.
Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Trump raises tariffs on Canadian goods, BoC keeps rate steady and Telus' new network deal: Business and investing stories for the week of Aug. 3
Getting caught up on a week that got away? Here's your weekly digest of The Globe's most essential business and investing stories, with insights and analysis from the pros, stock tips, portfolio strategies and more. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday evening increasing tariffs on some Canadian goods. The order, effective at midnight on Aug. 1, raises the tariffs that Mr. Trump imposed on Canadian goods in March to 35 per cent from 25 per cent — it does not, however, apply to products that meet the rules outlined in the United States-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement, known as USMCA. Prime Minister Mark Carney, in a statement early Friday morning, said the Canadian government is disappointed by Mr. Trump's actions but remains committed to the free-trade agreement. The Prime Minister disputed Mr. Trump's justification for the 35-per-cent tariff – namely that Canada is a significant source of the deadly opioid fentanyl smuggled into the United States. While the Canadian economy has mostly avoided the impact of the tariffs because the USMCA carve-out, certain industries — such as steel and aluminium, cars, and copper — will be hit harder by the changes. The Bank of Canada held its policy interest rate at 2.75 per cent for the third consecutive time as U.S. trade policy continues to muddy the economic outlook. The central bank is operating amid massive levels of uncertainty created by U.S. President Donald Trump's barrage of tariffs and attempt to rewrite the rules of global trade. Governor Tiff Macklem said there was a 'clear consensus' to hold the rate steady, but suggested the door remained open to additional rate cuts if needed, Mark Rendell reports. The bank also held off again on publishing a central forecast in its quarterly Monetary Policy Report. Instead, it detailed three potential paths for the Canadian economy that depend on the trajectory of U.S. tariffs, ranging from a mild downturn to an extended recession. Even before Mr. Trump's tariff threads, the vibrancy of Canada's business sector was already weak, but the trade war has only deepened the rut. Statistics Canada reported this week that the number of active businesses was effectively flat in April on a month-over-month basis, increasing by just 0.1 per cent. Sectors that are dependent on U.S. demand, such as mining, oil and gas extraction, experienced a sharper decline in the number of active businesses from the start of last year than other sectors, and the gap has widened since Mr. Trump returned to the White House. Statscan noted this decline began before that, and suggested other factors could be at play. Jason Kirby takes a closer look at the numbers in this week's Decoder series. After a months-long search for buyers, Telus Corp. T-T has entered a definitive agreement with the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec to sell a minority stake in its nationwide cellphone tower network for $1.26-billion. The Caisse, Canada's second-largest pension fund, will acquire a 49.9-per-cent stake in the infrastructure asset, which is being spun out as a new company called Terrion. The business is worth $2.5-billion, including Telus's 50.1-per-cent equity interest. Telus had $25-billion in long-term debt as of March, and intends to use all proceeds from the sale to pay some of it down. Drumeo is the brainchild of Jared Falk, an Abbotsford-born music teacher, performer and entrepreneur who first started giving drum lessons by video in the pre-streaming era of the early 2000s. Now Mr. Falk's company – Musora Media Inc. – boasts more than 100,000 paid subscribers, with offerings for piano, vocals and guitar as well. Armed with a roster of drumming legends — including Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stewart Copeland of The Police, the internet sensation known as El Estepario Siberiano, and The Rolling Stones veteran session man Steve Jordan — Drumeo appears all over the internet with viral clips of musicians showing off their signature grooves and testing themselves on unfamiliar tunes. Jeffrey Jones spoke with Mr. Falk about how he built his music lesson empire, and how Drumeo sets itself apart from the competition. Get the rest of the questions from the weekly business and investing news quiz here, and prepare for the week ahead with The Globe's investing calendar.
