Nine clubs from Five Red Deer service organizations are joining forces to help local organizations.
Three Rotary Clubs, two Optimist Clubs, and Red Deer’s Kinsmen and Kinettes, Kiwanis and Lions clubs are combining to provide $2,500 each to five local organizations.
Mustard Seed, Red Deer Food Bank, Golden Circle Senior Resource Centre, Youth HQ and Red Deer Outreach Centre will all benefit from the donations. Each club is also helping out by having its members donate their time to help each of the charities one day next week to deliver their programs during what Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston proclaimed “Red Deer Service Clubs Week.”
The show of charitable support will be used for everything from helping put dinner on the table for families in need, to helping fill school backpacks to updating audio visual equipment.
Red Deer Food Bank executive director Mitch Thomson said the charity’s work can sometimes seem daunting and the support will make a big difference.
“This money is going to provide milk for the balance of almost a month for families and children,” he said, adding the funding will also go towards creating food packages that will help feed about 500 people.
“We’re going to see lots of people fed and lots of people served and it’s all about community.”
Red Deer Outreach Centre executive director Ian Wheeliker said the organization creates 900 school backpacks every year for students from kindergarten to Grade 12 through its Tools for Schools program and the money will go towards that effort.
“I’m so excited to be part of this collaborative effort in giving back to the community.”
Byron Bradley, manager director of central Alberta for The Mustard Seed, said the funding will help feed young students through its school lunch program, which provides for about 500 children from 46 central Alberta schools.
“This will turn into a thousand lunches to feed kids who come to school from homes that cannot afford to send their children to school with lunches,” said Bradley.
Golden Circle executive director Amber Mack said she hopes to use the funds to upgrade the audiovisual technology at the gathering place for people of all ages.
“The fact that money is coming to Golden Circle that we can apply to that project is huge,” said Mack. “That will bring us today’s standards for technology so we can welcome even more people and more events.”
Service club members volunteering their time will help serving hot lunches next week, she said.
Red Deer’s Volunteer HQ oversees the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, 49th Street Youth Shelter and Camp Alexo and BGC (formerly Boys and Girls Clubs) after-school programs.
Community engagement manager John Johnston said there are 77 children on the Big Brothers Big Sisters waiting list.
“We’re going to use the contribution here to help support our mentorship to get more members. An hour a week can have a tremendous impact on the life of a child,” said Johnston.
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