Muskoka 100 People Who Care hosted their second-ever meeting at the end of August, raising $7,260 for Food4Kids Muskoka.
Formed earlier this year, the group meets twice annually to raise money, learn about three charities and vote on which one should receive the funds. They came together at Turtle Jacks in Port Carling on Aug. 28 for their second meeting of the year. Food4Kids Muskoka, the Muskoka Shoebox Project and MiND-AID Muskoka made presentations about their work, and attendees voted to make the donation to Food4Kids. Sarah Thatcher, founder and executive director at Food4Kids Muskoka, said her team is overjoyed to receive the donation.
“By highlighting charities in our region, they have helped us raise awareness and funds to support our ‘Weekends Without Hunger’ program,” Thatcher said. “With their help, we will be able to continue to scale to feed 400 kids across Muskoka this school year in order to ensure that kids have the food they need on the weekend to help them learn, play and grow.”
Each Friday during the academic year, the team at Food4Kids Muskoka brings packages of food to schools across the region. The packages are placed directly into students’ bags to avoid any stigma or unwanted attention. They also prioritize foods that are easy for children to open and eat on their own in case their family is facing illness, addiction or other challenges.
Food4Kids is a charity that operates across the continent, and the Muskoka branch started serving children at the end of September last year. Though the local branch is just a year old, the number of families accessing their services has grown quickly. As of February, they were supporting 76 students compared to the 400 they hope to serve this year.
Marion Mochrie, one of the group’s founding members, said it really hit home to hear about their mission. It’s an organized and efficient operation, but more importantly, it fills a critical gap in services for the youngest and most vulnerable people in Muskoka.
“It’s something that I never thought of before hearing their little talk,” Mochrie said. “Yes, we have programs for kids throughout the week at schools, but I never even thought about the weekends when they go home, they don’t have any food.”
Mochrie and her fellow founding members, Aly Brown and Alex MacDonald, went to the Food4Kids Muskoka facility in Huntsville on Sept. 17 to present the cheque. Since Food4Kids is launching its school-based services next week, it’s the perfect time to kickstart their cash flow.
Muskoka 100 People Who Care were able to raise the money thanks to another great turnout at their second meeting. It was an emotional night hearing about all of the charities, Mochrie said. Many attendees were asking about splitting the funds between the three charities, offering the largest amount to the winning organization, but the founders felt it would lessen their ability to impact local causes.
“I don’t think we’re at a point yet where we could do the split,” she said. “If we had more people come out and we raise more funds, we would think about doing that.”
While only one charity receives the funding, they all get a chance to showcase their efforts and get recognition from the community. At their first meeting, one of the charities that wasn’t selected ended up partnering with a local business. At both meetings, participants donated to the other two charities alongside their contribution to the group.
Mochrie and the other organizers are proud of the fact that they’ve been able to support such critical causes. Their first donation of $10,840 went to Andy’s House, a hospice facility in Port Carling. They hope they can continue to assist local charities for years to come.
“They are both great causes, and there’s so many more great causes out there, it’s overwhelming at times,” Mochrie said. “You’d like to do more, but there’s only so much you can do, so we’ll just keep working at it.”
The organizers decided to add an extra event to their schedule, inspired by one of the speakers at the meeting. They will host a Shoebox Project event at the Port Carling Community Centre on Nov. 3. Locals can join to pack and drop off shoeboxes full of gifts for women experiencing homelessness.
Mochrie said they’re already starting to get donations of wrapping paper, Christmas cards and more. Founding member Aly Brown has also sourced toiletry items like toothpaste and shampoo through family connections, so they’re aiming to put together 150 boxes.
Along with attending the shoebox event, Muskoka 100 People Who Care participants can help the organizers by sharing their opinions on meeting dates. So far, it’s looking like they’ll hold meetings in mid-June and mid-September, but they’re still taking feedback. They’re grateful to everyone who has helped them get the group going, and they’re excited to keep up the momentum.
“I’d just like to thank everybody that was there and that donated,” Mochrie said. “Their motivation to come out is great, and we just hope it can continue on in the future.”
To learn more about Muskoka 100 People Who Care, visit their website. Email muskoka100pwc@gmail.com to provide feedback on meeting dates or to make a donation for the shoebox event on Nov. 3.