Gladys Wood, (left), George Wood, treasurer, Christine Simoens, board member, Paula Richkun, board member, Pat Morley coordinator, Caralee Strome, general manager with Meadow Lake Co-op and John Decker, operations manager with Meadow Lake Co-op. (Nicole Reis/meadowlakeNOW Staff) 

By Nicole Reis

WILLOW CREEK CO-OP DONATION

Meadow Lake Co-op presents Willow Creek Community Garden with funds to improve its space

Jul 21, 2020 | 5:00 PM

Meadow Lake Co-op presented Willow Creek Community Garden with a cheque this morning for $26,000 as part of Co-ops Community Spaces program.

Diane Wagmann, Co-op’s marketing manager said the program, now in its fifth year, has provided funding to a range of community initiatives including in La Loche, Beauval, Pierceland and Livelong.

“Federated Co-op Limited (FCL) supplies funding on behalf of Meadow Lake Co-op and recipients could apply for up to $100,000 for an initiative depending on what the project is,” Wagmann told meadowlakeNOW. “We’re community builders and as such, we like to help out as much as we can.”

The Co-operative Retailing System is a network of over 160 member retail co-op’s across Western Canada. Co-op Community Spaces funds projects on behalf of co-ops across the network, to create spaces where people can come together.

Since 2015, Co-op has supported 132 projects with $9.5 million in capital funding. George Wood, the community garden’s treasurer says the space primarily operates on donations from gardeners and occasionally receives a provincial Community Initiative Fund grant to cover wages for its coordinator.

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As for this donation, the plan is to upgrade the space.

“We’re planning to build a new pergola, a swale for drainage all the way down to Willow Creek and we’re going to purchase or build some more raised beds and extend the length of our garden,” Wood said.

Christine Simoens, has been a board member four years and said she finds sanctuary in the garden. She said she is able to live off of her vegetables throughout the winter and occasionally supplies her family with fresh vegetables.

“The garden is roto-tilled in the spring and in the fall, it gets cleaned,” she said. “The hardest job is done. It’s great.”

The Community Spaces program funds projects in three categories: recreation, environmental conservation and urban agriculture. Funded organizations must be registered non-profits, charities or community service co-operatives. Projects can apply for between $25,000 and $150,000 in capital funding.

For additional information about Co-ops Community Spaces program visit here.

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nicole.reis@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @nicolereis7722