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Earlier this year, the United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes (United Way CKL) received a $78,100 Resilient Communities Fund grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) that it’s used to hire a project manager, a summer student, and a strategic planning consultant to help rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. The project is underway and will allow United Way CKL to prepare for change.

“The pandemic has had a significant impact on local non-profit organizations and how they deliver services to our community members,” said Laurie Scott, MPP for Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock. “This funding will help United Way CKL recover and adapt to the emerging needs of the community by building their organizational capacity and ability to deliver programs and services.”

In addition to the strategic planning process, United Way CKL will also be able to equip board members and employees with the supports to implement new approaches, improve and increase access to financial resources and develop new sources of revenue. With this grant, United Way CKL will be able to adapt the organization’s ability to respond to emerging needs in the community.

“The impact of this Ontario Trillium Foundation grant cannot be underestimated,” said Duncan Gallacher, Board Chair of the United Way CKL. “This grant has started our pandemic recovery process and we look forward to working with the strategic planning consultant to create a plan that will help us rebuild and strengthen our organization’s ability to respond to emerging needs.”

The United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes is committed to improving lives in the City of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County by engaging people and working together. For more information on how the United Way is helping our community, please visit www.ckl-unitedway.ca.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Government of Ontario and one of Canada’s leading granting foundations. Last year, nearly $112M was invested into 1,384 community projects and partnerships to build healthy and vibrant communities and strengthen the impact of Ontario’s non-profit sector. In 2020/21, OTF supported Ontario’s economic recovery by helping non-profit organizations rebuild and recover from the impacts of COVID-19. Visit otf.ca to learn more.

As the work of growing food for our communities continues at Edwin Binney’s Community Garden, some of our production and processes have been slowed by the theft of a John Deere tractor that took place on July 9th or 10th.  A tractor is an integral tool for an agricultural endeavour.  It helps increase our production meaning more food can be donated to more than 20 agencies and programs. This project is a direct response to our community and is one more layer of help for hundreds of people needing help to access fresh and healthy foods.  

“We consider this a despicable act that impacts many people in the community.  We are grateful to the Kawartha Lakes Police Services for responding quickly and launching an investigation.  Police are looking for any witnesses who may have seen the incident or know who may have committed this alleged crime and are asking them to contact police at 705-324-5252. If you wish to provide information anonymously you can do so through Crime Stoppers at 1.800.222.TIPSS (8477) or at www.kh.crimestoppersweb.com . Please help find this tractor. 

We want to extend a big thanks to David E Burns for helping us with a few of the large, urgent chores,” says Penny Barton Dyke, Executive Director for United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes.   

For a second year, the Pandemic has forced the United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes and Crayola Canada to cancel the popular Crayola Sale. Prior to 2020, this annual event had taken place every fall for more than 30 years.  Over $1 million has been generated from the sale and Crayola’s workplace campaign.

Hundreds of people come to this sale from across the province and with continued health concerns, both UWCKL and Crayola Canada decided the safety of customers and supporters must be a priority.

“With so much uncertainty, we have made the very difficult decision to cancel the sale again, as the health and safety of staff, customers and volunteers is our highest priority,” explains Paul Murphy, General Manager of Crayola Canada. “The cancellation of the sales does not change Crayola Canada’s commitment to our relationship with the UWCKL.  We will continue to work with them and find new ways to support their efforts within our community.”

“Crayola continues to support our work in the community, and we are grateful for their commitment to United Way. While we are disappointed that the sale will be cancelled again this year, we appreciate Crayola’s commitment to our community,” says Shantal Ingram, Community Investment Coordinator for United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes.

Our work continues with Edwin Binney’s Community Garden, located on Crayola’s property in Lindsay, where we grew over 12,700lbs of food last year which was donated to food programs in the City of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton.  If you would like to support our education centre and food security program, go to our website. https://ckl-unitedway.ca/donate-now/

The LEX helps host the event at its facility here in Lindsay. In an effort to continue support for non-profit agencies it held the Merry & Bright Festival last year to help local organizations. The LEX will be hosting this again and will release details shortly.

Edwin Binney’s community garden has exceeded 10,000 lbs of produce harvested this season; United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes announced Monday. The community garden is in its second year of production, and provides food to 11 local food banks, 10 charity organizations, as well as additional clients and school groups from May to October. The garden came about through community consultations with local stakeholders, Crayola Canada and Fleming College becoming lead partners with UWCKL.

Last year, the final total was 5,500 lbs of produce donated. This year, the size of the plowed area was expanded in order to produce larger yields, and multiple crops were planted in succession throughout the season.

Reaching the milestone was an important moment for UWCKL’s team, explains Executive Director Penny Barton Dyke, “We have had a fabulous team working to create substantial leaps in the yield this year in anticipation of greater need for fresh food during Covid-19.  Our team is excited about reaching this milestone and they worked tirelessly through some tough weather and within COVID-19 restrictions.”  “Knowing this garden is helping people is what drives all of us,” she adds.

As the season wraps up, their team is as busy as ever. Not only is work at the garden continuing to prepare for its third season, but UWCKL’s work in providing funding to community programs is facing greater demand than ever, explains Shantal Ingram, Community Investment Coordinator. “Donations to this year’s campaign will help UWCKL address essential needs in the City of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County during the COVID-19 pandemic and as we recover and rebuild over the long term. Every donation will make a difference to the lives of your friends, neighbours and colleagues who are experiencing challenges due to the pandemic.”

More information on Edwin Binney’s Community Garden can be found at https://ckl-unitedway.ca/edwin-binney-community-garden/

A local community agriculture initiative, Edwin Binney’s Community Garden, exceeded 5,000 lbs of produce donated as of last Wednesday, United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes announced.

The garden is in its second year of production, last year the final harvest total was 5,500 lbs. Currently the total is 5,944 lbs, and their goal is to double the amount harvested. All of the produce grown at Edwin Binney’s Community Garden is donated to 10 local food banks and 11 non-profit organizations.

United Way has recently started 3 pilot projects to deliver produce to clients in the City of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton.

Through a collaboration with Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes, called Garden at Your Table, produce from Edwin Binney’s Community Garden has been delivered directly to 50 clients in the City of Kawartha Lakes.

In addition, Fresh Produce Fridays, a pilot led by UWCKL delivers produce to three social housing units in Lindsay. An extension of this project in Haliburton is already in the works.

“Agency partnerships are critical to help people immediately in tough and unusual times,” writes Penny Barton Dyke, Executive Director of UWCKL.

“Edwin Binney’s Community Garden has many partners with each contributing and dovetailing to bring knowledge, land, access to products and the opportunity to bring fresh produce to kitchen tables. This is an agricultural and education project that is building sustainable practices and partnerships,” she adds.

To access programs, donate, or learn more about the work of UWCKL and Edwin Binney’s Community Garden, please visit ckl-unitedway.ca, email office@ckl.unitedway.ca or call (705) 878-5081

On May 19, United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes launched a call for applications for the Emergency Community Support Fund (ECSF). The fund provides financial support to charities and other qualified donees adapting their frontline services to support vulnerable Canadians during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ECSF is funded by the Government of Canada and is being administered in collaboration with United Way Centraide Canada, Community Foundations of Canada and the Canadian Red Cross.

Today, United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes is pleased to share an update on the recipients of this funding. Over the past month, United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes has received numerous applications for community programs and services that support vulnerable community members. To date, 17 organizations have been approved for a total of $217,625.

City of Kawartha Lakes

• Community Care City of Kawartha Lakes, $20,000 for the Community Dental Clinic
• A Place Called Home, $20,000 for the Emergency Homeless Shelter
• Canadian Mental Health Association $10,000 for Mental Health Case Management
• Special Olympics Ontario – Kawartha Lakes, $10,000 for Mental Health & Wellness
• John Howard Society City of Kawartha Lakes, $20,000 for the Community Intervention Program (round 1 of funding)
• Five Counties Children’s Centre $10,450, for the Help at Home Program (round 1 of funding)
• Boys and Girls Club for the City of Kawartha Lakes, $18,000, for Summer Camp programs (round 1 of funding)

Haliburton County

• Rotary Club of Haliburton, $5,000 for Basic Needs Bags
• Kawartha North Family Health Team, $18,450 for “Getting Ahead in a Just-Gettin’-By World”
• Central Food Network, $10,000 for Heat Bank Haliburton County
• Point in Time, $20,000, Haliburton County Youth Hub (round 1 of funding)
• Haliburton Highlands Health Services Foundation, $19,925, Mental Health Services and Virtual Supports (round 1 of funding)
• SIRCH $15,000, Community Kitchen (round 1 of funding)

Cross-jurisdictional

• Easter Seals Ontario, $7,600 Equipment Funding Program
• Kawartha Haliburton Victim Services, $10,000 for Hotel/Motel Emergency Voucher Program
• Junior Achievement of Peterborough Lakeland Muskoka, $16,500 for digital programming
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton $8,500, Group Virtual Programs (round 1 of funding)

United Way for the City of Kawartha Lakes is proud to support the important investment of $281,682.00 into our local communities, applications for funding closed on July 20, 2020, some are still under evaluation.

“The impact of this investment is threefold;” writes Penny Barton Dyke, Executive Director of UWCKL. “Organizations in our area will be able to help people, especially citizens at risk, with some supports more rapidly; assist in connecting people to agencies that will help them now and going forward; and lastly help strengthen the capacity of our community by working collaboratively.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has been especially difficult for vulnerable Canadians who are relying on the services of community organizations now, more than ever before. The Government of Canada is pleased to support a wide range of charities and non-profit organizations through the Emergency Community Support Fund to ensure no-one is left behind,” says the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister for Families, Children and Social Development.