Nonprofit Sector Appreciation Week 2022
To the staff, volunteers of nonprofits, PIN says ‘Thank You!
Click here for PIN’s Nonprofit Sector Appreciation Week Media Release .
Learn more from the Ontario Nonprofit Network information listed below and find resources and actions here.
What is Nonprofit Appreciation Week 2022?
This is a new recognition of Ontario’s nonprofit sector and its nearly 850,000 workers. It’s based on legislation to recognize nonprofit workers and organizations by the Government of Ontario, Bill 9, Nonprofit Sector Appreciation Week, 2021.
It is championed by MPP Daisy Wai and the Bhayana Family Foundation; more about this week, and celebrates the vital role nonprofits and workers play in creating and maintaining healthy, vibrant and inclusive communities in Ontario.
- A few reasons to celebrate:
Nearly 850,000 nonprofit workers are dedicated to serving, connecting, and supporting all Ontarians.
Nonprofit workers have continued essential services through the pandemic, such as child care, long-term care, shelters, community health centres, seniors support, and more.
Much of this work has been done by women workers who are the majority of the nonprofit workforce (77 per cent). - Nonprofit workers are your neighbours, your friends, your family, and your community leaders.
Ontario’s 58,000 nonprofits help to create healthy and thriving communities, and contribute $65 billion to the economy.
Ontario’s nonprofit sector is diverse- from arts and culture, housing, sports and recreation, faith, child development, community health care, the environment, and more. - Nonprofits are leading advocacy and change for a better, greener, more equitable economy and inclusive society.
The innovative ways nonprofit workers support Ontarians with creative, local solutions.
During the pandemic, nonprofit workers have innovated with live virtual concerts to keep us connected, repurposing community kitchens for mobile food programs, telephone trees to reach isolated seniors, virtual sports programs for mental health and physical fitness, pre-loaded phones with wellness supports for Indigenous youth, and much more.
Nonprofit Member Feature – The SEED
How does the mission of your organization impact our local community?
The SEED’s vision is a connected community where everyone has access to healthy food. We deliver community programs and operate social enterprises that address the causes and effects of food insecurity, in partnership with many collaborators.
How would you describe the efforts of your team (staff and volunteers) in the work of your organization?
Our team moves mountains… of food! We have about 20 staff and 140+ regular volunteers involved in various parts of the food system. It is so amazing to have such a mix of like-minded people working toward a common goal. We are all about rethinking the status quo for our community- from farming, to supply chain (and ‘rescuing’), storage & distribution, prep and cooking, selling, and of course, sharing!
A snapshot of what The SEED accomplished in 2021…
- Moved $1.5 million+ of fresh food through the new 1500 sq. ft. cooler and 750 sq. ft. freezer in the Community Food Warehouse
- Opened Groceries from The SEED, Canada’s first sliding-scale online grocery store with 7000+ deliveries made (and counting)
- Helped to launch the Community Garden at Shelldale Farm Park, and grow $100,000 of local food through The Good Food Project
- 178 low-income community members received one year of fruit & veggie prescriptions through Fresh Food Rx
- Cooked 15,000 nutritious meals in the Upcycle Kitchen
- Expanded our staff and volunteer group to 21 staff members and 157 regular volunteers
Nonprofit Member Feature – Guelph Tool Library
How does the mission of your organization impact our local community?
The Guelph Tool Library’s mission is to build community resilience by engaging its members in sharing knowledge, skills and resources. The Guelph Tool Library (GTL) offers a range of equipment as a low-cost, resource sharing and space-saving alternative to purchasing and owning tools. GTL’s projects and programs – from the Seed Library to the Grow Garden to the Repair Cafe to the library itself – are all facilitating a move toward a circular economy, where reusing, repairing, repurposing and recycling is at the centre of creating a better community for all.
How would you describe the efforts of your team (staff and volunteers) in the work of your organization?
Currently, the Guelph Tool Library (GTL) employs two staff members – a part-time Volunteer Coordinator and a Program Coordinator. The Program Coordinator has her plate full, planning, promoting and facilitating programs, but also ensuring the nitty gritty of the everyday operations of the GTL are running smoothly. The Volunteer Coordinator is currently working on building up volunteer processes and procedures. The rest of the work is done by volunteers. The GTL has an extremely active and dedicated Steering Committee that runs subcommittees and projects. Members of the Committee do a lot of the heavy lifting and decision-making, while also keeping an eye on the Guelph Tool Library’s future. We have a volunteer-run Board of Directors that provides oversight. Additionally, volunteers keep our library doors open every week, they maintain, organize and repair our tools, they run our Repair Cafes, they operate our Seed Library and the Grow Garden, they pay the bills, they are the heart of the Guelph Tool Library, really.
A snapshot of what The Guelph Tool Library accomplished in 2021…
- Number of volunteers, volunteer hours – Over 100 volunteers providing service to the community
- Program numbers, individuals reached/served, supported
- Total Guelph Tool Library members by the end of 2021 – 478
- Total loans of tools – 2437
- Over 100 total number of workshop attendees
- Over 600 lbs of waste diverted from landfills and over 130 items repaired at bi-monthly Repair Cafes
Nonprofit Member Feature – Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington
How does the mission of your organization impact our local community?
Our mission at CFGW is to empower children and youth by connecting families with opportunities to build hope for lifelong change and break the cycle of poverty. Our Foundation works to ensure that all children and youth in our community have the opportunity to participate, learn, and grow to reach their full potential through our four core programs: Adopt-A-Family; providing families and independent youth with the hope and joy of the holidays, Free to Grow; providing funding for children and youth for recreation, life-skill building activities and mental health support, Food & Friends; ensuring children and youth have access to nutritional food, and Scholarships; providing funding for post-secondary education for local students.
How would you describe the efforts of your team (staff and volunteers) in the work of your organization?
Our team works to better the lives of children and youth everyday. We continue to learn and grow as an organization, ensuring we are always working towards our goal of building brighter futures for local children and youth. Through fundraising campaigns and events, as well as behind the scenes work to run our programs, our team works tirelessly throughout the year to ensure the community is supported.
A snapshot of what the Children’s Foundation accomplished in 2021…
- Number of staff, years of service – 12 staff members, organization has been around for 31 years, with many staff being 10+ years of service.
- Number of volunteers, volunteer hours – 1,798 worked 12,525 hours in 2020
- Program numbers, individuals reached/served, supported – Over 25,000 children and youth supported in 2020. Learn more in their Sunshine/Annual Report: https://www.childrensfoundation.org/resources/financial-annual-reports
Nonprofit Member Feature – Compass Community Services
How does the mission of your organization impact our local community?
“To provide responsive and professional resources fostering wellbeing in our communities” means the community has accessible mental health therapy across the age spectrum, crisis telephone lines, wellness telephone lines, violence against women programs and services, developmental abilities services and behaviour therapy; and, myriad of additional programs and services using warm handoffs within the agency or to other community partners maintaining resilience within our community…reducing suicidal ideation, self-harm and intimate partner violence.
How would you describe the efforts of your team (staff and volunteers) in the work of your organization?
Herculean. The last two years have been incredibly challenging with increased number and complexity of clients across the spectrum of our programs and services all while personnel were dealing with the challenges in their personal lives during the pandemic and continually changing workplace conditions.
A snapshot of what the Compass Community Services accomplished in 2021…
- Number of personnel – 50 and in their 35th year of service
- Number of volunteers, volunteer hours : 100+, 9000 hours in 2021
- 6000+ individuals reached/served over 25 program and service areas
- 25000 calls with Distress Line and TeleConnect in 2021; Reducing calls to 9-1-1 on average of 125+ calls per month saving the system close to $1M in 2021
Nonprofit Member Feature – Up and Running Guelph
How does the mission of your organization impact our local community?
The mission of Up and Running Guelph is to improve mental health and well-being through nature-based walking and running programs within a supportive community. Since 2016, their group programs have helped over 600 women manage their mental health through harnessing the proven mental health benefits of exercise, nature, and social connections.
‘Exercise and time in nature are increasingly recommended by health professionals as part of prevention, early intervention and treatment plans for depression and anxiety. For people who are struggling with their mental health, however, there can be immense barriers to getting active. Up and Running works to remove those barriers by providing a positive, non-judgemental space for people to feel safe and supported as they connect with others and get active for improved mental health. Developed in Guelph, and currently serving women who are looking to manage their mental health, stress or feelings of isolation, we are in a period of growth and looking to broaden our reach over the coming years.’
How would you describe the efforts of your team (staff and volunteers) in the work of your organization?
‘The success of our program is a team effort made possible by the commitment of our volunteers, staff and board members to deliver on our mission. Our program volunteers are at the heart of what we do, providing encouragement and peer support to our participants as they walk and run in Guelph’s beautiful parks. Sharing stories, their love of nature, resources and words of wisdom, they are central to delivering our mission, and we celebrate their commitment. Our Program Manager gives her all to managing our program delivery in a way that creates the maximum impact for our community, and at the same time she gives tremendous effort to recruiting, training and supporting our program volunteers. Behind the scenes, we have an incredible team of Board members and volunteers working on our strategic planning, communications and marketing, finances, community outreach, and fundraising, among many other priorities.’
A snapshot of what Up and Running Guelph accomplished in 2021…
- Currently 1 staff person – program manager – who has been employed with Up and Running since the Fall of 2020
- In 2021 we had 62 volunteers contributing over 3000 hours of work towards our mission
- In 2021, Up and Running Guelph was unable to deliver in-person programs until the summer. ‘However, we were actively engaging with our community online and through virtual programs before launching distanced in-person walking and running programs in August for 25 registered participants. With the success of our summer programs, we decided to launch full outdoor, in-person programming in the Fall. With an emphasis on creating social connections while maintaining COVID-19 safety protocols, we were thrilled to welcome 38 registered participants to our daytime and evening programs.’
Up and Running Guelph Participant Testimonials:
“The program is making a huge difference in my mental health. Thank you for providing this opportunity” Fall 2021 participant
“Very grateful for the program; I know I wouldn’t be out there enjoying the trails and companionship if left to my own devices” Fall 2021 participant
“Up and Running is such a joy and many, many thanks for keeping this friendly and inclusive program going! I have benefited in so many ways.” Winter 2022 participant
“Once again this program is the best thing I continue to do for myself. The people and stability of this program makes all the difference.” Fall 2021 participant
“I am so grateful for the program, and for all that you and the other leaders do to make it great. It has changed my life for the better. Like the song goes “Because I knew you, I have been changed for good ” Fall 2021 participant
“So glad I came out! I feel uplifted and with like-minded women. Like I can face my day with a better mindset”. Fall 2021 participant
