CENTRE WELLINGTON – Randall Howard, chair of the Centre Wellington Community Foundation (CWCF) Board of Directors, announced a record-breaking single gift of $3.45 million from benefactor Russel Cox, a local business icon and philanthropist.
Cox previously gave $500,000 in July 2022 to the CWCF.
“We are honoured and profoundly grateful for this second generous gift from Russel Cox,” Howard stated in a press release.
“This gift will allow us to drive new efforts and expand our impact with increased granting programs allowing us to better respond to urgent and growing, community needs and priorities.”
A clear priority for Cox is food insecurity, which officials say has grown dramatically since the pandemic.
CWCF announced on Nov. 29 that Children’s Foundation of Guelph Wellington (CFGW) is one of the first recipients of Cox’s generous gifts.
Karyn Kirkwood, executive director of the foundation, expressed gratitude.
“We are deeply thankful to Russel Cox for his generous support of our student nutrition programs,” stated Kirkwood.
“This gift will ensure students across Wellington County have access to nutritious food every day through our Keep Kids Fed at School program.”
Kirkwood said there has been a sharp rise in the number of students in the region who rely on school food programs, “which coincides with a 14 per cent increase in grocery costs over the past two years – an even greater burden in rural areas.”
Cox, who weekly visits the Cox Construction offices in Guelph, is attuned to the pulse of his community and the greater economic pressures people are facing, officials say.
“I’ve been a builder for my entire life” he stated.
“I’ve started many projects and finished them all.
“This gift is something I want to be a catalyst for the next generation, now and in perpetuity.”
