When Donna applied for a Neighbourhood Small Grant, she wrote, “Throughout the Covid-19 lockdown, some of the neighbours had become very solitary, and perhaps even lonely.” She noted, “We have lost some neighbours and added some new folks; we have missed sharing comradery and friendship”.

Donna didn’t have a complete picture of how she wanted to reconnect when she applied, but by the end, it turned out better than she could have imagined.

“Our neighbourhoods held a Mexican Fiesta party! When planning this event, everyone wanted to be involved, it was a great collaboration by most of the residents”.

The youngsters and teens played games and took turns whacking the pinata. The adults happily took home as door prizes Mexican Pepper plants that were used earlier for decorations.

“In total, we had 35 people, inclusive of Indigenous, LGBTQ, and new immigrants. We had a canvas where everyone had to paint a self-portrait, that was fun!”

Donna shared in closing, “All in all, the event was so successful, we hope to make this an annual event. Thank you so much for the generous grant that made this neighbourhood get-together possible”.