A $50,000 donation has been made to the Grande Prairie Friendship Centre from Shell Canada. The donation will go towards supporting food security efforts with the Community Kitchen and Kokum’s Kupboard.
A portion of the donation will help support the Community Kitchen, which the Friendship Centre runs in partnership with the Salvation Army, to provide meals to the community. The program which in the past ran Monday to Friday serves three meals a day, and on average sees 200 visitors a day.
The other program receiving support from this donation is the Head Start Program’s Kukoms Kupboard. This program focuses on supporting a child’s development in the early stages of their life while focusing on areas such as education, culture, health promotion, nutrition, social support, and parent and family involvement.
Friendship Centre Executive Director Miranda Laroche says the centre is a place where everyone is welcome, including for meals during the day.
“Our goal is to ensure children always have a healthy meal without barriers and that families feel safe to access this cupboard,” Laroche says.
Corporate Relations for Shell Canada Vanessa Jocko says non-profit organizations are pillars of the community, especially for those who rely on or access their services.
“Many organizations and individuals continue to experience challenges following the COVID-19 pandemic and it is important to support the community during these especially challenging times,” Jocko says.
My Grande Prairie Now learned earlier this week the Community Kitchen is scheduled to start offering weekend meals for the first time since opening in 2019.
