A Belleville councillor has objected to a portion of the $829,400 provincial COVID-19 pandemic emergency funding going to a local group that provides some meals to people in need.
Councillor Pat Culhane raised the issue during a teleconference meeting of the Hastings County Community and Human Resources committee on Wednesday.
The debate involved the distribution of the funding allotted through the Hastings County service.
Culhane told the committee that the group, Not Alone Quinte, should not receive $10,180 and it should go to the Salvation Army which provides a hot meal to people in need every day all year long.
Director of Community and Human Services Erin Rivers pointed out that this group, plus Cooked for Love for those that Need in Quinte West, serve a different group of people.
In her written report, Rivers says Not Alone Quinte uses the money to deliver meals and donated items including clothing and food.
It is being recommended that Cooked with Love receive $11,250 to provide meals, transportation to medical appointments and assistance with affordable housing.
The list includes 28 organizations, including $85,000 for Hastings Prince Edward Learning Foundation, $38,460,000 for Grace Inn Shelter, and $21,775 for the John Howard Society, $13,500 for Salvation Army – Belleville, $8,000 for Salvation Army – Trenton, and $12,060 for Salvation Army – Tweed.
The committee is recommending all the items for funding to Hastings County Council, including the allotment for Not Alone Quinte.
The full list is below:
| Agency Name | Approved Amount | Program Description |
| Abigail’s Learning Centre | $25,902.00 | To support 100 households with weekly home delivery of bread, milk, eggs, apples. Continue outreach to their clientele. |
| Addictions & Mental Health | $18,750.00 | 25 Pre-paid cell phones with minutes to provide to the most vulnerable with access to ongoing counselling services. |
| Bancroft Community Transit | $14,319.00 | Purchase of custom-built protective shields for delivery vehicles to both transport people to essential medical appts/services and provide both grocery shopping and food delivery service (in partnership with United Way). |
| Bancroft Family Health Team and NHCT | $25,980.00 | To set up an isolation centre/shelter space for homeless individuals in North Hastings – secure accommodation, provide food, medical supports, peer and caseworker supports, harm reduction supplies, etc. |
| Bancroft Help / NHCT | $7,200.00 | Support volunteer based service for delivering groceries, medication and other essential needs to vulnerable members in the community. |
| Belleville and Quinte West Community Health Centre | $20,000.00 | Purchase of medical supplies or medications (over the counter or prescription) for those who cannot afford them to ensure good health during the pandemic. Also creating 625 wellness boxes for seniors and families living in Hastings Housing. |
| Belleville Community Trust | $15,000.00 | Assist with rent, utility payments, delivery of medication/food to seniors in both Belleville area and Centre Hastings. |
| Bridge St. United Church | $12,441.00 | Provision of lunch service for two months. |
| Care North Hastings | $3,500.00 | Provision and delivery of 100 pharmacy supply bags to seniors. |
| CDC | $11,250.00 | Provide and deliver 750 fresh produce bags. |
| Community Partners for Success | $2,700.00 | Promote and provide financial aid to purchase food to create food hampers to those in need. |
| Cooked with Love for Those That Need | $11,250.00 | Provide meals (delivery), help with tents, sleeping bags, thermal blankets and hygiene items, transportation to medical appointments, and assistance finding affordable housing. |
| Grace Inn | $38,460.00 | Due to a lack of volunteers, need to increase the hours of the paid staff to cover regular duties previously covered by volunteers – front-line support, janitorial, food services and PPEs. |
| HPE Learning Foundation | $85,000.00 | Food for Learning – provides grocery cards ($50/month) to pay for breakfast and snack every day for food vulnerable students. Student Emergency Fund – support students (and sometimes families) with funds for medical supplies, clothing, transportation, etc. |
| John Howard Society | $21,775.00 | Provision of: 1. Grocery cards and food/hygiene bags 2. Plexiglas car dividers (cars used for delivery or transport) 3. Shower program – open shower facilities twice a week until June |
| North Hastings Children’s Services | $15,593.00 | Psychological First Aid assistance to support clients and caregivers of children aged 0-6 and 7 to teen, including Indigenous supports where needed. This includes support for 100 families for a period of 3 months providing basic needs (paper products, cleaning supplies, phone cards, food cards and gas cards) and coping skills to manage the distress. |
| North Hastings Community Cupboard | $7,880.00 | Bancroft, Coe Hill and Maynooth food banks – good food box depot as well as regular food bank services. Re-opening of café in a location to provide lunch program. |
| North Hastings Community Trust | $5,000.00 | Provision of bagged lunch program. |
| North Hastings Non-Profit Housing Corp | $10,000.00 | Assistance to make units available for permanent housing. |
| Not Alone Team Quinte | $10,180.00 | Meal delivery and delivery service of donated items (clothing, food, hygiene products, etc.) |
| Quinte West Non-Profit Housing Corp | $3,600.00 | Loss of revenue from empty units + rental arrears from several units which cannot be collected due to tribunal cancellation |
| Salvation Army – Belleville | $13,500.00 | Support for 2 months of service continuity funding used to offset additional service provision costs due to pandemic. |
| Salvation Army – Tweed | $12,060.00 | Support for 2 months of service continuity funding used to offset additional service provision costs due to pandemic. |
| Salvation Army – Trenton | $8,000.00 | To expand lunch program to 7 days a week and extend food bank hours to 7 days a week for 8 weeks. Will also do food bank deliveries. |
| Three Oaks | $5,000.00 | Supporting women with food, diapers, sanitizing supplies and hygiene products in their Second Stage housing. Security camera repair. Increased utility bills. |
| United Way | $15,000.00 | Providing grocery delivery for isolated seniors (or other vulnerable individuals) in Belleville, QW, Deseronto, Tyendinaga and Thurlow. Funds to support mileage/gas, PPE, insurance on van, subsidization of grocery orders for those in need. |
| VON (Victorian Order of Nurses) | $10,000.00 | Enhancement of Frozen meal program to support additional volume due to pandemic and isolation. |
| Youthab | $8,264.56 | Additional funding to extend 5 day a week Intensive Case Manager that connects homeless individuals with permanent housing. |
| Hastings Housing Security | $25,000.00 | Enhanced security for Hastings County housing units to ensure safety, well-being and social distancing. |
| TOTAL | $462,604.56 |
