Central Alberta Co-op has doled out $180,000 to three projects.
Medicine River Wildlife Centre, Innisfail Public Library and Blackfalds District Agriculture Society all received grants through the Co-op Community Spaces program.
The wildlife centre will be getting $133,000 to go towards the Wildlife Homes Playground, a new addition to the interpretive centre and wildlife hospital.
The playground will feature interactive, wildlife-themed play structures, as well as other educational elements to teach children and their families about the environment.
Blackfalds District Agricultural Society will put its $25,000 grant towards a scenic rest area, the Dennis Nielsen Memorial Park, next to the Wadey Visitor Services Centre at All-Star Park.
Another $25,000 went to Innisfail Public Library, which will use the money for a new community garden that was seeded this spring.
“Central Alberta Co-op is supported and owned by members and customers throughout this region, so it’s important that we give back and make investments in our community and people, which is what Co-op Community Spaces is all about,” says Central Alberta Co-op executive director Gerald Hiebert.
Since it was launched in 2015, Co-op Community Spaces has provided $4.5 million to more than 60 projects in Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan and Manitoba.