The ALERT Respirator Project addresses safety issues for our Volunteers who respond to requests from Emergency Support Services and the Local Fire Departments to evacuate/recover/rescue animals affected by emergencies/ disasters. By providing our Volunteers with respirators that can filter out smoke (wildfires) and off-gassing (house fires), we are able to enter areas/premises quicker to evacuate/recover/ rescue animals.

Each summer Agur Lake Camp Society hires a student from Summerland to work at the camp as a Campground Assistant. This position is partly funded by the Canada Summer Jobs program

Kitchen installation and leasehold improvements for CMHA

Subsidized Lunch Program

The grant will be used to provide seniors with wellness education and mini health spas for Seniors, including nutrition education plus meals at the weekly program. The “spa” includes a women’s hairdo, men’s haircut, massages, nail and foot care for both genders. When people look good, they feel good. In addition to personal care, the program activities will allow many isolated seniors to connect with others in their community. Attending live theatre or movie will be a focal point of the program.

The Family Get Together supports approximately 46 families through the year with our monthly program. This program provides peer to peer support opportunities in an inclusive environment at no cost to the families, removing a socio-economic barrier to participation.

The program aims to provide food security to children of the Similkameen valley. Through the school year, backpacks, filled with balanced meals and snacks, are distributed every Friday. Students are selected by the school administrators, as being at risk of hunger over the weekends. These students already receive subsidized breakfast and lunch while they are at school. This program bridges the gap of the help already received. There are currently 9 students receiving a pack every week

NeighbourLink Summerland plans to use the funding to hire a facilitator to assist with Strategic Planning. Since, and because of the Global Pandemic, the needs of the community have changed as well as how to address needs. We know by re-evaluating service delivery, volunteer concerns and training, and assessing changing community needs, we will be able to provide improved services, and rebuild capacity to our past, present clients and future clients.

The Okanagan Falls Lions Club is serving a hot breakfast bun to the students of the OK Falls elementary school. The program was started to supply a nutritious breakfast to the students at no cost to ensure better nutrition, which improves the students learning and attention to learning skills to ensure a better education.

The Summerland Youth Centre is a recreation program for youth 13-18 years of age providing a safe place to belong without barriers. We offer young people the chance to dream, discover and grow as they learn to navigate the challenges of life. Through recreation and life-skill programs, lead by adults who’s focus is to develop positive, nurturing relationships; youth gain the skills, knowledge and values to help them be successful now and in the future.

Through this project, Okanagan Similkameen Stewardship will restore sensitive riparian habitat at Skaha Lake Park and Sun-Oka Provincial Park that support local wildlife and species at risk, and engage the communities of Penticton and Summerland in environmental understanding and resource stewardship in the South Okanagan through a number of workshops and participatory stewardship opportunities.

OSNS runs intensive parent coaching groups and single-session workshops for parents whose children are eligible for Early Intervention services. These groups are well attended and very well regarded by the parents who participate. In past years, OSNS has received Early Mental Health funding that allowed the inclusion of families otherwise not eligible – children with ASD or school-age children. With this grant, we would expand our groups and workshops to include these parents, free of charge.

Pathways has been offering vital and sought after programs for people of the South Okanagan battling substance use and addiction for several years. One of these programs is the Men’s DEW (Days, Evenings, Weekends) which is an evidence based intensive outpatient treatment program for men who are struggling with substance use issues and are unable to leave the community and their families to attend outpatient treatment.

Funding will be used for operations and additional staffing to address the increasing demands for our programs and services. We would hire a part-time programming coordinator to oversee part of our current programming and additional community arts outreach to marginalized populations (including youth and seniors). Many community members are without the means to access arts programming and we seek to reduce this inequality of access.

The Access Centre is a Crisis Centre operating throughout a global pandemic. Having a reliable Triage Receptionist has been paramount in the level of care we provide to our clients who are often in a state of crisis, especially in these COVID times. Advocates and clients have benefited tremendously by this pillar of support up front. This position is the first point of contact for people in crisis and is vital to continuing the mental well being of our community’s most
vulnerable.

The Ignite the Arts Festival will be a nine day celebration of art and culture, kicking off on Friday March 25 and running through to Sunday April 3, 2022. The festival is an expansion of the Penticton Art Gallery’s annual March Exhibition opening, designed to engage more community partners in the planning, programming and ultimate realization of this event. This provides the City with a new shoulder season flagship event and we hope it will help the PAG to diversify its revenue streams.

Meals on Wheels needs to replace many of our insulated foam carriers. These carriers are used to put in the hot meals, desserts and soups that are delivered to our clients Monday, Wednesday and Fridays including all statutory holidays that follow on these three days.

Funds will go toward a 1/3 of the cost of a primary addiction recovery treatment bed at Discovery House. The funds will help subsidize treatment for local individuals who could not otherwise afford long-term, live in treatment, life skills training, counselling, and peer base recovery fellowship support.

Funding would be used to supplement the cost of food and supplies to operate our Meals on Wheels program. Our Meals on Wheels program offers 3 days of warm, cost effective meals delivered to the customers door. In addition to the meal, the customer also has a check in with the driver.

The SOHCAS is 100% volunteer operated. Everyone associated with the organization proudly donates their time and energy.
The primary goal of the elevator is to provide the volunteers (seniors) a safe method of transporting merchandise from the receiving/sorting/processing area to the retail space but the benefits of the shop’s expansion are far reaching.

The Cindy Taylor safe home has been running at 200% capacity for the last 18 months. We have been housing women in our safe home as well as in local motels. In order for us to provide the standard of care that these women need and should receive we need to provide them with more staff and counselling support. We have expanded the safe home program to a house that will provide more full time staff support. We also operate two independent units (one bedroom) at our affordable housing complex.

Our Peer Support program is accessible to all individuals with mental illness in the South Okanagan Similkameen. We offer both in-person and online support groups, one-on-one peer support, and visit Country Squire Villa in Osoyoos to support and connect with the residents there. Our goal with this funding is to hire more peer workers, offer programs more frequently throughout the year, and to increase the number of support groups and frequency of travel to communities outside of Penticton.

This grant will be used to upgrade retail equipment in the Summerland Community Arts Council store. This store gives artists in the South Okanagan a venue to sell their products

Create a “Seed to Feed” program which would bring together the Summerland Food Bank & Resource Centre’s “Odd Job”, “Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Sharing Stand” and “Greenhouse Partnership” projects under one coordinator with the goal of providing entry level employment and a sustainable fresh produce source to the community of Summerland and area.

HELP Wheelchairs and Walkers for Kids in Casts: Addressing the Shortage of Equipment across the Okanagan valley.

Enhance the current recreation program at Village by the Station in Penticton British Columbia.The revenue used to run the program has been negatively effected by the COVID-19 pandemic and they were unable to sustain the standard of programming. We are seeing a change in residents needs and at this time are unable to make the purchases needed to accommodate this. By providing updated resources and supports we will be able to better serve seniors in our community.

Funding to relocate to a larger space in Penticton (in August 2022), furnish four more classrooms, and support more Autistic families on their wait list.

The school will use the funds to provide a safe and effective working atmosphere to further student’s educational and social development. Free tutoring and healthy snacks are provided, however the program is free of charge to our students.

The final year of funding from a three year grant commitment to the Maggie’s Lunch program for students in need.