Archive for the ‘Nutrition’ Category

It’s the Manitoba Way

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

Stats Canada recently released the numbers for 2010 and, once again, Manitoba ranks first (at 26.3%) when it comes to tax filers who claim a charitable donation. This finding is consistent with previous years and with other research that says Manitobans donate one percent of their income to community organizations—again the highest level in Canada.

As I drove to work today, I was thinking about a December ad campaign that would encourage Manitobans to make an extra gift to their favourite charity or to a charity that they have not supported before. The theme would be: “Everyone gives. Everyone claims. Everyone wins. It’s the Manitoba way”.

When you are in first place, it is hard to ask for more and yet, at The Winnipeg Foundation, we see countless examples of worthwhile projects that require public support. We also welcome contributions to some of our own recent initiatives:

  1. The “You Can Do It Awards” provide inner-city kids from grades 5 to 12 with a $1,000 learning account to be applied to their future post secondary education in Manitoba.  You can create a $1,000 award by donating $300 to the You Can Do It Awards Fund at The Winnipeg Foundation, which will be matched by the Province and the Foundation to make up the balance.
  2. Up until December 10th, you can support world class medical research taking place in Winnipeg.  The Foundation is sponsoring a virtual race to raise funds for HIV/Aids research. For more information about this unique venture, visit the Virtual Marathon for Medical Research.
  3. You can help us “grow the orchard” through our Nourishing Potential Fund. The Fund provides snacks and meals for Winnipeg children and youth. In just the first year, we have already “harvested” 28 grants (almost $175,000). Every gift helps.

Manitoba has a relatively small population and we are geographically isolated. As a result, if we want our community organizations to flourish, we have to step up more than others. Twenty-six percent of us claim a charitable gift on our tax returns and, together, we donate one percent of our income. Even though these numbers lead the nation, there is opportunity to do better. The need is so apparent, and this is the season to give just a bit more.

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Salt Water Wells in My Eyes

Friday, May 27th, 2011

Like me, I am sure that everyone who attended the recent national conference of Canadian community foundations arrived home filled with new energy and commitment to our work and our communities. We heard inspiring speakers like Governor General David Johnston, Naomi Tutu and former U.S. President Bill Clinton. But for me, the most powerful words came from a children’s choir called Voices of Nature. The lyrics that have stayed with me is: “Why should one baby feel so hungry she cries? Salt water wells in my eyes.”

Without question, the initiative I am paying most attention to these days is Nourishing Potential—the endowment providing food to kids. Our Board has decided The Winnipeg Foundation should have a $5 million fund capable of generating $250,000 annually to augment food budgets for after-school programs. An Advisory Committee has been formed and the first grants will be announced soon. One of my primary responsibilities over the next five years is to identify donors who share our concern that too many Winnipeg kids are hungry.

On hearing those children ask “Why should one baby feel so hungry she cries?”, my thoughts also raced back to a recent personal experience. One day last fall, my wife was looking after one of our granddaughters who was just about two years old. We were late in getting her home for dinner and traffic was terrible. So, there we were: hardly moving along Osborne while our granddaughter cried loudly from her car seat because she was hungry. In reality, the experience didn’t last long, and it certainly wasn’t serious, but it was very painful. I can’t imagine the anxiety of parents and grandparents who face this situation on a regular basis and aren’t able to meet their child’s nutrition needs.

So, the children’s song has unquestionably renewed my focus on building our Nourishing Potential endowment. Thankfully, we have dedicated volunteers and committed staff in charities all across our city who are helping to address this situation. I also know that our Provincial government is taking concrete steps to augment support.

However, child hunger is a complex and multi-faceted issue. How can we demand more effective public policy if we don’t understand, or agree on, the solutions? How much can we reasonably expect of philanthropy? In a city as rich as Winnipeg, with plentiful food everywhere, why should any children feel so hungry they cry?

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February 2010

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

This blog post is really an invitation for feedback about an idea. Foundation staff are actively doing our homework on the possibility of launching a new endowment to support nutrition programs in community organizations and schools. Having adequate food continues to be a major challenge in Winnipeg and, while the Foundation cannot solve this problem, we could augment and enhance the resources that are currently available.

About seven years ago, we introduced the Literacy for Life Fund to provide financial support for family literacy – intergenerational programs where children and parents read and learn together. It was a niche that we felt needed to be filled. Today the Literacy for Life Fund is capitalized with over $2 million and about 200 grants have been paid to community agencies. It has been rather remarkable to see how these modest grants are making a meaningful difference for local families.

Our research suggests that Winnipeggers are very sympathetic to the issue of food security. Everyone seems to agree that in a country with such wealth, it is simply wrong that children and young people should go to school or to bed hungry. Foundation staff recently met with representatives of about 15 agencies that have knowledge and experience in addressing this issue. We heard from a variety of different perspectives that there are many challenges.

The question we must ask ourselves is: should the Foundation, as a grant-making and endowment-building organization, take a stronger and more proactive stance on nutrition? We already make grants specifically into this area and, of course, we support a wide range of community charities that are also providing support. Where does the role of philanthropy end and public policy take over? Should public policy be providing more support and encouragement to philanthropy as an efficient and less costly alternative to government programs?

Our current idea is to create a $5 million endowment that would generate about $250,000 annually to augment the resources currently available to address a problem that does not seem to be going away. Providing nourishment to our children so they can reach their potential is obviously a good cause. My question is: would you be willing to donate to a special endowment-building effort or do you see community need in this area as something that must be balanced with many other good causes? I welcome your feedback.

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Posted in Charitable Giving, Nutrition, Philanthropy | 4 Comments »