Councillor Rick Hembly wants to ensure Town of Minto donations help Minto residents.
During a recent finance committee, a number of questions were raised over the donations handed out to groups and organizations.
Juvenile Diabetes Research Fundraiser
It started off with a resolution put forward to support a scrap booking fundraising venue for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The event is on Sunday Nov. 14.
Recreation director Dave Stonely did not know much about the event.
“It sounds like it’s for a good organization.”
Councillor Rick Hembly asked treasurer Gord Duff if the municipality gets any reimbursements for these donations.
The answer was “no”.
He said the money used comes from what the town has budgeted for donations.
“So we basically eat that cost?” Hembly asked.
Councillor Dave Turton then asked for an update of the town’s donation fund.
Duff said he would need to check to be certain, but believed it is in line with spending in previous years.
“There have not been many exceptional requests this year. It’s pretty traditional.”
Duff noted that historically, the town has allocated $30,000 for donations.
He noted one of the factors which changes things are the number of events serving alcohol.
Minto Food Banks
Next up was a request from the Town of Minto Food Banks to purchase a membership in an association to enhance the organization’s purchasing power.
The 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 that “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 this donation would mean the food banks would purchase food outside the community.
Duff explained that in the past, Palmerston had a membership, but it had lapsed.
He added that membership in the association allows them 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 do not get the same corporate donations as the other two local food banks.
Hembly said the main question was “are we going to give them $1,100 to shop out of Minto?”
Deputy Mayor Judy Dirksen offered some clarification on the issue.
She said the membership allows the 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.
She said it wasn’t really like purchasing food.
The one membership would be shared among the three food banks.
Councillor Barb Burrows 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. She also felt this move would not take a lot of business away from them, because the food banks would continue most of their purchases with them.
In looking at the number of hampers in the Palmerston area, the numbers are around 17 to 18 per month.
Anderson asked for clarification in that the 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 do monetary donations instead of food drives.
“There are certain things people don’t think to donate.”
While council approved the donation, Hembly remained opposed.
Splash Pad Bash II
This was followed up by the Palmerston Lions Club request for a donation of $1,000 to support the Splash Pad Bash II event held on July 11.
However as recreation director Dave Stonely said that while the cap for the donation was $1,000, “but the reality was that our department provided a lot of logistical support for the set up of the event.”
He said there was no dollar value being requested for that work.
Stonely said the actual donation being 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.
Deputy Mayor Judy Dirksen suggested passing the resolution as it stood, but adding a line of notation that in 2009 that amounted to only $250.
Harriston-Minto 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 held on June 21.
A letter to council briefly outlined the history of the new youth group established late last year.
The group of 16 to 19-year-olds work with the local agricultural society with hopes of improving the annual fall fair.
Notation was made 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.” The group’s intent is 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.
Mayor Anderson said it was brought to his attention that these types of requests should be made prior to the event.
“It makes for less red tape,” he said.
Dirksen said this 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.
“Kids are the future and it’s nice to see them taking a leadership role,” Dirksen said.
Council endorsed the request.
