Kindred Charitable Fund Announces 2022 Grant Recipients

$10,000 grant*
Theme: Safe and Affordable Housing
Project: Staying Home: Empowering & Equipping Newcomer Families in Maintaining Secure Housing
Waterloo, ON
adventure4change.org

Many newcomer and refugee families face an urgent housing crisis. Centred within a Housing First framework, Staying Home focuses on prevention and social justice, ensuring vulnerable families are adequately housed. This project will provide intentional counseling, advocacy and workshops, while equipping individuals to make informed decisions and maintain their housing.

*Adventure4Change will also receive $7,500 in 2023 and 2024

$2,500 grant
Theme: Community Food Security
Project: Reducing Food Insecurity After the Pandemic
Guelph, ON
chalmerscentre.ca

Chalmers Community Services Centre aims to provide food to those who are experiencing food insecurity as a result of COVID-19. This program would ensure that Chalmers is able to meet the increase need of community members experiencing food insecurity as a result of COVID-19, while continuing to support those who were already experiencing food insecurity before the pandemic began.

$7,500 grant
Theme: Safe and Affordable Housing
Project: Donation Station
Simcoe, ON
churchoutserving.org

The Donation Station project repurposes used furniture, appliances and household items to residents moving into homes that otherwise cannot afford basic household necessities. COS supports individuals and families on fixed or limited incomes and those transitioning due to affordability, or circumstances of domestic violence, health, or other life crisis.

$6,000 grant
Theme: Safe and Affordable Housing
Project: Home Share Waterloo Region
Kitchener, ON
cjiwr.com

Home Share is an innovative and inexpensive way to address the critical shortage of affordable, decent and safe housing without needing to build new and expensive housing. This project connects adults who live independently and are vulnerable to loneliness and require financial or chore support, with individuals who are unable to find affordable housing, who may be willing to provide support and companionship.

$2,500 grant
Theme: Community Food Security
Project: The Good Food Project
Hillsburgh, ON
everdale.org

Everdale not-for-profit farm grows fresh food with and for low-income community members. Through collective growing and Community Harvest Days, they are increasing access to fresh food for community members who can not afford it and connecting people of all income levels and circumstances through the growing and sharing of fresh food crops.

$5,000 grant
Theme: Community Food Security
Project: Wisahkotewinowak Enhanced Food Delivery Strategy
Kitchener, ON
wisahk.ca

The Wisahkotewinowak Enhanced Food Delivery Strategy aims to increase the effectiveness of existing gardening projects and food share programs by purchasing a food delivery vehicle that can support Wisahkotewinowak’s land-based and food security work. The vehicle will increase efficiency in harvesting food from four garden sites to Indigenous households across Waterloo-Wellington.

$5,000 grant
Theme: Community Food Security
Project: Fresh Food Prescription program
Guelph, ON
theseedguelph.ca

The SEED is piloting a Fresh Food Prescription (FFRx) program in Guelph-Wellington. FFRx is an innovative grassroots form of food-based healthcare that helps low-income community members get access to fresh food to improve their health.

$5,000 grant
Theme: Safe and Affordable Housing
Project: Final Phase of Homes on Kehl St
Waterloo, ON
habitatwr.ca

In September, Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region will begin building the final phase of homes for their Kehl Street project, creating homes for six new families. This will bring the total to 45 homes at their Kehl Street site.

$4,000 grant
Theme: Safe and Affordable Housing
Project: St. Mark’s Place Kitchen
Kitchener, ON
indwell.ca

Indwell’s first building in Kitchener is a conversion of St. Marks Lutheran Church into 43 affordable apartments with supports, including a commercial kitchen. The kitchen will be used to provide a meal each day for tenants, as well as space for food security programs. The goal of the food security program is to increase the skills needed to move towards living more independently.

$2,500 grant
Theme: Community Food Security
Project: Pallet Scale Purchase
Cambridge, ON
ontariogleaners.org

The Gleaners provides dehydrated vegetable mixes and fruit snacks to people experiencing food insecurity around the world. In 2020, 131,448 kg of dehydrated food (55 shipments) went to 16 countries throughout the world using 29 relief organizations with partnerships in those countries.

$2,500 grant
Theme: Safe and Affordable Housing
Project: A Place to Call Home
Stratford, ON
optimismplace.com

Five women with children in Perth County will be provided wraparound supports to secure and/or maintain safe and stable housing. Each woman (and her children) will have access to a housing stability worker who would be able to help them navigate the various systems, secure rent supplements, and make recommendations for what is needed in order for her to either gain new housing or maintain current safe housing.

$5,000 grant
Theme: Climate Action
Project: Let there be light!
Sauble Beach, ON
slmc.ca

Solar panels will provide much needed electricity to parts of the camp. Staff will develop specific programming to use with school groups who attend the camp in spring and fall to educate them about alternate power sources, living lightly on the earth and harnessing the renewable resources earth provides.

$5,000 grant
Theme: Safe and Affordable Housing
Project: The Bridge Affordable Housing Project
Leamington, ON
thebridgeyouth.ca

The Bridge is moving forward with the construction of 12 modular units that will be built on-site to help address the local affordable housing crisis and provide an opportunity for youth that are in the Quiring Family Fresh Start supportive housing program to transition to independent housing.

$7,500 grant*
Theme: Safe and Affordable Housing
Project: Restorative Community: A Better Tent City Pilot Project
Kitchener, ON

Residents, staff and volunteers of A Better Tent City will work with Community Justice Initiatives in establishing circles of support to create a culture of restorative justice, differing from other hierarchical and punitive approaches to conflict resolution. This project will result in a stronger, more cohesive community, and residents will feel empowered as they develop their capacity to resolve conflict in a good way and to collaborate to create a safer home.

* The Church of St. John the Evangelist / A Better Tent City will also receive $7,500 in 2023

$5,000 grant
Theme: Safe and Affordable Housing
Project: Safe Homes, Safe Communities
Toronto, ON
theatreofthebeat.ca

Theatre of the Beat will create a forum theatre project addressing three key issues in creating safe homes: elder abuse, toxic masculinity & intimate partner violence. A three-hour anthology with three vignettes (each focusing on one issue) will be used as an educational and training tool to help community members create and maintain safe and healthy environments in their homes.

$2,500 grant
Theme: Climate Action
Project: Mama Aki (Mother Earth) Camp
Waterloo, ON
wlu.ca/about/discover-laurier/indigenization

Mama Aki Camp is a hands-on, fun and educational Indigenous youth experience that explores Indigenous ways of knowing and western science. Biology Instructors and Indigenous Knowledge Keepers will integrate learning activities of climate-action, environmental science and conservation in order to empower a future network of Indigenous youth change-agents.

$7,500 grant
Theme: Safe and Affordable Housing
Project: Emergency Housing Support Pilot Fund
New Hamburg, ON
wilmotfamilyresourcecentre.wordpress.com/about

Emergency Housing Support Pilot Fund is focused on upstream prevention work by supporting people to stay in their homes. This program supports people in Wilmot Township with emergency housing funds in order to stay housed while they work with Wilmot Family Resource Centre on a longer-term solution.