When it comes to providing for people in need, every donation – no matter how big or how small – helps.
This is the opinion of Natanis Bundschuh, executive director at the Door of Hope in Meadow Lake, when commenting on recent donations received at both the Door of Hope and the local food bank courtesy of Innovation Credit Union.
“Innovation donated $5,000 to the Door of Hope soup kitchen and $5,000 to the food bank,” Bundschuh explained. “We haven’t earmarked the money for anything specific, but operating costs are generally higher than our income every year. So, this money will go into the general fund for each department it was designated for to help with expenses. For the Door of Hope it will likely be used to purchase supplies for the kitchen, while, right now, the food bank’s stock is looking pretty good, but there are times when we don’t have as many donations coming in and we need to supplement. That’s where this money will likely end up going toward.”
According to a recent news release issued by Innovation, inflation has significantly impacted Saskatchewan residents over the past year. Rising food costs have made it a true challenge for people to afford even the necessities. Local charitable organizations are helping as much as possible, but with increased demand and reliance on them, they require additional support from community partners. It is with this in mind, Innovation Credit Union’s 2022 Community Impact Campaign focused on ensuring the underserved received food during this difficult time. In total, Innovation donated a total of $50,000 this year to the Door of Hope and food bank, as well as organizations in North Battleford, Regina, Saskatoon and Swift Current.
“This year has been incredibly difficult for so many to navigate financially,” noted Innovation marketing community specialist Shawna Jardine. “It’s an honour to be able to help so many worthwhile organizations continue to make a difference in our communities. We can’t thank them enough for the work they do.”
As part of Innovation Credit Union’s Responsible Banking commitment, it gives two to four per cent of pre-tax profits to activities and causes that help build and support communities it serves.
“We couldn’t make contributions such as these without the support of our membership,” Jardine said. “Thank you to Innovation members for your business.”
Bundschuh also expressed her gratitude to Innovation.
“Innovation has been an incredibly supportive organization in our community for many years,” she said. “I’ve also noticed, over the last several years, they have continued to increase what they’ve been able to give us. Each year they send a group of volunteers over here to help cook a meal, so it’s encouraging to see community organizations coming alongside us and helping us to do the work.”
With Christmas just around the corner, Bundschuh also said things are looking positive at the Door of Hope in terms of the ongoing service it provides to patrons.
“Things are pretty decent heading into the holidays because we recently received quite a large food share from Food Banks of Saskatchewan, while the Meadow Lake Co-op, last year, donated $2,500 worth of groceries, and they have done so again this year,” she noted. “We also had a food bank grant we just completed – so the food is looking pretty decent. That being said, we are doing Christmas hampers this year. We’re starting to collect information now from the people who receive food bank services, and plan to do Christmas-specific hampers with all the fixings for a traditional Christmas meal. Anyone who can donate turkey, ham, traditional Christmas foods or small gifts for children, we are accepting.”
by Phil Ambroziak