September 4, 2020

2 GAP DONATIONS AID FUTURE GOAL OF COMMUNITY WELLNESS CENTRE

GRAVENHURST — The “growing gap in food security” in Gravenhurst — which has GAP looking into a community wellness centre — got a couple of big financial donations again this week.

They received $3,000 in proceeds from a Muskoka Drive-In movie night Wednesday, organized by the Kahshe Lake Ratepayers’ Association (KLRA).

That’s on top of $625 donated this week by employees and matched by Elexicon Energy, the local utility service provider.

Joanne Twist, who chairs the steering committee of Gravenhurst Against Poverty, told MuskokaTODAY.com both are well-needed.

“There’s so much poverty, it’s amazing. And that we don’t know about.”

She said last night’s weekly Thursday supper was delivered to 348 people.

And each of the 136 homes received an additional $25 grocery gift card.

Twist said next week she will place an order for 360 meals.

The meal orders are augmented by GAP’s several community gardens around town that have continued to provided produce weekly this years.

“I don’t know how many bags we had last night,” said Twist.

She said the growing need in town is part of mounting requirement for a local wellness centre in Gravenhurst that would include facilities for GAP, meeting and office space and a place for mental health consultations, which are lacking so greatly now.

“We need a community place,” said Twist who heads up the volunteer charity group that includes food services run by staff manager Marlene Buwalda-Liao; and a community advisory committee.

A small working group chaired by Desarae Doolittle of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), which meets in the basement of the Trinity United Church where GAP shares a limited space in a few small rooms with the Gravenhurst Women’s Centre and church.

“All kinds of people need a place to meeting with clientele,” Twist says.

It could even see the return of a youth centre.

The goal now is to “define what it would look like.”

Meanwhile, Doolittle is planning a lecture series of virtual talks beginning Sept. 17 on “Building Compassion in the Community.”

That’s something Twist admits there is already a large abundance of in Gravenhurst.

As widely seen by the huge ongoing outpouring of financial support and donations of food GAP regularly receives from residents and groups in town including during it’s new signature fundraiser Out of the Cold walk.

“We have so many volunteers,” she says enthusiastically.

“We’re really impressed.”

A lot of new people moving to town are helping out volunteering.

Fifteen drivers a week safely deliver meals around town that until the pandemic were served in-house at Trinity.

Wednesday night’s “Kahse Cares 2020′ Movie Nigh fundraiser put on by the KLRA filled the Gravenhurst drive-in — each vehicle driver paying $60 for four people ($15 for each extra passenger).

They got to watch the Canadian premier Peanut Butter Falcon.

“All — every dime — of the proceeds go to Gravenhurst Against Poverty for their planned neighbourhood welcome centre,” boasted the promotion.

On Wednesday, Sept. 23, upstairs in the church, GAP will hold its AGM where Twist will talk more about how it is coping with COVID-19 and its future plans.

The meeting is at 7 p.m. and is open to the public.