Councillor Rick Hembly wants to ensure Minto’s donations help its residents.
During a recent finance committee meeting, there were a number of questions raised over donations.
Juvenile diabetes
The discussion started with a resolution to support a scrapbooking fundraising venue for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation on Nov. 14. Recreation Director Dave Stonely did not know much about the event.
“It sounds like it’s for a good organization,” Stonely said.
Councillor Rick Hembly asked Treasurer Gord Duff if the municipality gets any reimbursements for the donations.
It does not. Duff said the money comes from what the town has budgeted for donations.
“So, we basically eat that cost,” Hembly commented.
Councillor Dave Turton asked for an update of the town’s donation fund.
Duff said he needs to check to be sure, but he believes it is in line with spending in previous years.
“There have not been many exceptional requests this year,” he said. “It’s pretty traditional.”
Duff added that, historically, the town has allocated $30,000 for donations. He said one factor that changes things is the number of events serving alcohol.
Minto Food Banks
Next was a request from Minto’s Food Banks to purchase a membership in an association to enhance the organization’s purchasing power.
A letter from the food bank asked for $1,100 to join the Ontario Food Bank Association.
That membership would allow the town’s three food banks to gain access to the food depot to obtain frozen products and dry goods.
Bonnie Whitehead, on behalf of the Clifford food bank committee, wrote, “In the Town of Minto, between the three food banks [Clifford, Harriston and Palmerston], approximately 30 to 35 food hampers are being prepared each month. As more people become marginalized in our society, the local food bank becomes more of a lifeline than ever before or imagined possible.”
Hembly asked if the donation would mean food banks would purchase food outside the community.
Duff said in the past Palmerston had a membership, but it lapsed. He added that membership in the association allows food banks to go to the Ontario food terminal to purchase a significant quantity of food – more than what they could get on their own.
Duff added that the Clifford food bank “is of extremely modest means” and does not get the same corporate donations as the other two local food banks.
Hembly said the main question is, “Are we going to give them $1,100 to shop out of Minto?”
Deputy-mayor Judy Dirksen offered some clarification.
She said the membership allows local food banks to make use of a food warehouse located in Kitchener. That $1,100 membership allows them to go there and pick up food.
“It would be like them getting a call – we’ve got three skids of Kraft Dinner – would you like some?”
Or, she said, the food bank could call and say it has a specific shortage.
“They get a way more than the membership fee.”
She said it was not really like purchasing food. The one membership would be shared among the three food banks.
Councillor Barb Burrows, who is involved with the Palmerston Food Bank, said it was an oversight to let the membership lapse, even though it had made use of the service.
“They won’t charge us any back fees,” she said. “We’d start from today and move on.”
She said the Clifford situation is different in that it does not have a regular grocery store like Harriston or Palmerston, which have been very supportive.
Burrows also felt this move would not take a lot of business away from those stores, because the food banks would continue most buying with them.
The number of hampers sought in the Palmerston area, is 17 to 18 per month.
“Most of these are families. The use is far more extensive now because of area layoffs,” Burrows said.
Mayor David Anderson asked for an explanation because food banks generally make purchases only when someone has donated a lot of money.
Burrows said at Christmas and special times, there are cash donations, and churches may make monetary donations instead of doing food drives.
“There are certain things people don’t think to donate.”
For perishables, she said the food bank tends to give grocery store vouchers because the food bank cannot store much.
While council approved the donation, Hembly remained opposed.
Splash Pad Bash II
The splash pad issues was a Palmerston Lions Club request for a donation of $1,000 to support the Splash Pad Bash II event held July 11.
However, Stonely said that while the cap for the donation is $1,000, “the reality was that our department provided a lot of logistical support for the set up of the event.”
He said there is no dollar value being requested for that work. The actual donation requested is for a partial pool rental amounting to $250.
Hembly said all the money the Lions Club raises stays in Minto.
Stonely said in that particular event, no money is raised. “It is something to give back to the community – everything is free – for the support they’ve had for the project.”
Hembly asked that it be noted the donation was for only $250.
Dirksen suggested passing the resolution as it stood, but adding a line of notation that in 2009 it amounted to only $250.
Junior Agricultural Society
Finally, the Harriston-Minto Junior Agricultural Society asked for a donation for facility use in the amount of $250 for a Father’s Day breakfast fundraiser. That event was June 21.
A letter to council outlined the history of the new youth group established late last year.
The 16 to 19-year-olds work with the local agricultural society with hopes of improving the annual fall fair.
Committee members noted that this will be the 150th anniversary of the Harriston-Minto Fall Fair.
“The Junior Agricultural Society feels that this milestone event would be an appropriate time to make our ideas a reality.”
It hoppes to transform an entire building into an agricultural education centre for children. Part of making that happen was the fundraising breakfast.
The group asked for a donation of $250 to cover the cost of the hall rental for the event, which raised $840.
Anderson said it was brought to his attention these types of requests should be made prior to the event.
“It makes for less red tape,” he said.
Councillor Wayne Martin added that is also part of the town’s policy.
Dirksen said the group of teens went to the main board of directors with a PowerPoint presentation of their plans and how they planned to reach their goals.
“I think we really need to encourage them. They may well have a template for other groups who might benefit from a junior group. Kids are the future and it’s nice to see them taking a leadership role,” she said.
Council endorsed the request.
