Maggie’s Resource Centre receives OTF grant

Maggie’s Resource Centre North Hastings in Bancroft recently obtained a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation for $70,600 to replace their windows and to procure a generator for their building. Executive director Kim McMunn and board chair Cheryl Easton comment on this grant and the work they were able to complete at Maggie’s because of this funding.

McMunn and Easton spoke to The Bancroft Times about the OTF grant they recently received, worth $70,600, which they used to replace their windows and to get a generator for the building. “We were able to replace all the windows with double planed glass, increasing security and safety in the building so that our heat wasn’t outside. It was a huge support to us to have that. And long-term benefits to the community insofar as the money we don’t have to put into extra heating costs and extra security features we can pump into programs and services. So, we’re excited about that,” she says.

McMunn says they figure the new windows have prolonged the life of the building by another 15 years. The new Generac 48-Kilowatt generator also has a community benefit, not only to Maggie’s and to those using its transitional housing program, but to neighbouring businesses like Bancroft Community Transit. If there was an extended power outage, they could share their generated power with them so they could continue their operations.

Maggie’s is a community based not for profit agency that provides a wide range of services from a feminist perspective to rural women in North Hastings. They provide crisis counselling, information and advocacy, transportation to a safe environment, referral to community services, court support, a counselling program to support and empower women, twenty-four-hour access to emergency support services, access to resource material and community education on issues of violence against women, men and children, including violence prevention. For more information, go to www.maggiesresourcecentre.com.

McMunn says they are also looking at getting a new roof in the near future, depending on what funding they can get in the next year or so. She said the heat insulation was not as good as it could be in the transitional housing units and the shingles need replacing. “We have applied through the Ministry of Community, Children and Social Services for that, but it may be next year before we hear from them. They said they would look at what the contractors put in for life expectancy. They’re looking at the urgency of all projects submitted. If the MCCSS isn’t able to provide funding, we may go back and apply to the OTF for consideration. However, the Ministry was very generous this time around so they may just do that,” she says.

In addition to the appreciation Easton and McMunn are extending to the OTF, they also wanted to thank MPP Ric Bresee and the Ontario government for supporting organizations like the OTF. McMunn says that without that kind of support, small businesses really would struggle to maintain services, especially non-profits. “We’re all competing for the fundraising money. This is just money from the sky and knowing it’s non-repayable, that gives us a chance. It really does open up some great possibilities for us,” she says.

Easton says there are different avenues for applying for grant funding. “Right now, we’re working with the MCCSS, our governing organization, because they have some one-time funding opportunities that anybody within the MCCSS can apply for annually. So you send in your application, show the need and show how it’ll be an advantage to the organization. And one they’re really pushing is accessibility. So, the roof, not necessarily but some renovations we want to do will improve accessibility for our clients and the people that come to use our services. So, we’re just waiting for an answer to that,” she says.

McMunn says they’re looking at adding another accessible washroom, and hoping to renovate their garage space into programming space. “We’re finding we’re outgrowing our current space, and would like to take the bigger area in our building and expand on it [the garage area]. So, we have to make it so we can get heat through there,” she says. McMunn explains they have two streams of funding; Tamarack funding for programs and services, and Crisis/Violence Against Women funding to support people needing urgent help to leave dangerous domestic situations. She said that now, everyone is using the same door to get in, but with the renovations, they’d have separate doors for programs and services and crisis services. “It would run much more efficiently that way. One side of the building would be our Crisis/VAW section and the other side would be our programming side. We hope to hear this fall or early next year about funding for these accessibility renovations,” she says.

Maggie’s transitional housing units are fully finished, furnished and occupied, according to Easton and McMunn. They wanted to give a special shoutout to Laura van Driel at York River Interiors, who donated furniture and accessories to the units to make them more “homey” for their guests. Easton commented that she and McMunn had reflected on the residual effect that Maggie’s move to its new location and all the renovations they’ve done has had on the community. “We provided work for a lot of people, but as much as it’s gone out, it’s come in. And it’s been really neat to see our community grow, the Maggie’s community. We’ve been able to increase our staffing to meet the increased service need. It’s been really cool to see the relationships we’ve built with other organizations and service providers like the Bancroft Family Health Team and the OPP blossom and grow,” she says.

Easton says they’re really thankful to have the cooperation of the MCCSS and really value them, not only as their overseeing body, but as an interested party, as they have a genuine interest and concern that Maggie’s is running at their best. “So, we’re very thankful for that relationship and we have an excellent relationship with them, so it’s nice,” she says.

Easton says that many organizations fall under the MCCSS umbrella, who are all vying for funding and who all do great work for the community and are serving more people every day. “Society has become very taxed and is needing these services more and more and seemingly at an accelerated pace,” she says.

McMunn agrees, telling The Bancroft Times that’s why the OTF is so important to organizations like Maggie’s. “When the MCCSS is trying to cover so many different organizations, it’s those extra dollars that OTF provides that’s the icing on the cake. We can get our core services from our funders but those little extras that really make our business, that’s where it comes in. I love the fact that they’re so community minded. When they’re looking at what they’re doing, most of their granting that they offer, and community is their buzz word, they’re not just looking at one unique business they’re looking at how it impacts the whole community.”

Michael Riley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Bancroft Times