GAP KICKS OFF ITS ‘DREAM’ HOME FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN WITH $500,000 GOAL
Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com
GRAVENHURST — GAP’s “dream” is alive.
A future home to house all its social initiatives including its signature food program and a Young Adult Centre.
“The stars have to align,” Gravenhurst Against Poverty chair Bonnie Dart said this morning at the official kick-off to a major fundraising campaign.
Their public solicitation goal is $500,000.
And they’re well off to that with $325,000 pledged already.
GAP has its eyes on the 8,000-square-foot downtown Ing Building next to the Opera House on Muskoka Road.
It would house 10 affordable housing units, two emergency housing units for youth in need, multi-purpose program space and a community kitchen for the now twice weekly food distribution that feeds 650 people each Thursday through home volunteer delivery; and more than 100 people who also drop by the United Church Mondays now for free supper pickup.
As well as provide space for other planned community help programs for youth, women and mental health practitioners.
Dart was joined outside the church for the announcement by Hydro One officials who have donated $10,000 to the cause and spokesperson Jay Armitage who noted that there’s been more than a “400 per cent” increase for demand of their services.
Hydro One also announced 10 other Energizing Life recipients of $1,000 donations drawn during the announcement and going to other communities for similar projects.
Other large private donors have pledged up to $50,000, said Dart afterwards.
Dart said they’ve also applied through a national charitable organization called Raising the Roof for a $500,000 grant to help them get the project off the ground and operate the new facility.
She’d like to see something happen sooner than later — possibly as early as this fall if “all the stars line up,” she in acknowledging all of GAP’s volunteers, supporters and donors so far.
Then they could hopefully buy the building and begin the long, expensive process of renovating the main street commercial property.
And further help struggling community members with a myriad of ambitious initiatives they hope to expand on.
According to their just-released 2021 Impact Report, through the pandemic they’ve gone from providing food to 145 households last year to 260 this year and in total distributed 21,580 meals.
A 438 per cent increase in demand in just their third year.
They now have 286 volunteers — some of whom were on hand today as they worked to prepare meals for the daily distribution and pack shopping bags for the teams of drivers who arrive mid-afternoon to deliver door-to-door all over town and along Hwy. 11.
GAP also provides community gardens that help feed people and free taxi transportation for medical appointments, work and laundry.
As well this past year they’ve distributed $152,425 in food cards, gift cards and gas cards.
Their major fundraiser is the Out of the Cold walk each winter/spring, which raised $50,566 in 2020 and $90,932 in 2021.
It’s a project that has captured the imagination of the town, said Mayor Paul Kelly, who added not a lot of seasonal people are aware of yet.
GAP hopes to change that and get everyone on board this worthy project.
If you’d like to pledge
you can email them in confidence
at: [email protected]
Or call 705-641-2225.
GAP chair Bonnie Dart talks about their “dream” of a multi-purpose community hub and Young Adult Centre on the main street.
Email [email protected]
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