With significant rising costs of housing, utilities and food costs impacting people, Cindy Grant has indicated the need for help from Newark Neighbours Food Bank has greatly increased. She is also involved with the Seniors Housing Options group. We asked her about her ongoing efforts on those fronts.
What were your proudest volunteer accomplishments over the last year?
There are several things I am proud of but I think the most impactfull one is the ongoing service we provide to our clients at the Food Bank. I can’t take the full credit – the volunteers who work most directly with our clients on a weekly basis are the key to our service. I am very proud of them and of the work we do on an on-going basis to support our families and individuals who most need it.
My second accomplishment is the on-going work we are doing with the Seniors Housing Options group. Our efforts have focused primarily on identifying and quantifying the need for alternative and suitable housing for seniors who wish to remain in our community but no longer can maintain their single family homes. In addition to our survey, we have met with residents in three of the five NOTL communities, and we heard that message repeated in all of them. I feel we have succeeded in raising the awareness of this issue and engaging the community on a common issue.
What is your top wish for Niagara-on-the-Lake moving forward?
That NOTL continues to be an active and engaged community, focusing on the positive energy that our residents demonstrate regularly. And more specifically, that the discussion and engagement we have initiated around Seniors Housing, result in some specific and tangible solutions. We have touched base with two people who have experience developing the kind of housing our seniors need, and have had very promising conversations, one who has met with a local developer who has available land. The other is a woman from Queenston who hopes to buy the former Laura Secord property and turn it into assisted housing with retail space.
We also plan to talk to town council about the former hospital site to see what their intention is with that property.
Has there been one or more learning experiences for you in your volunteer work that seems particularly significant?
There is a large degree of volunteer overlap with several groups and organizations in our community, all attempting to engage volunteers from the same or similar group of people. It would be good to revisit the concept of a volunteer “bank,” including a skills and experience inventory that residents could register with. There is a potential of untapped resources of people that are looking for volunteer opportunities.
Finding the right balance of volunteering with multiple groups and organizations and having enough time and attention for personal interests and social events with family and friends also presents an ongoing learning experience, and addressing those challenge are ongoing!
Thanks Cindy!