Skip to content

North Bay agencies receive funding from United Way North East through program and area grants

North Bay Warming Centre has been taking in folks for five years, allowing them a spot to warm up during the evening in the winter, and offering cots if they need one
Gathering Place turl 2015

These area grants are distributed to qualifying agencies that meet United Way’s three mandates of:

  • building strong communities,
  • helping kids be all they can be and
  • moving poverty to possibility.

United Way is committed to improving the lives locally and they do so by funding agencies and programs that will help to make a meaningful impact on the community, says a news release.

"This year, United Way made it their mission to fund agencies that attend to emerging needs in the community such as food insecurity, transportation, and shelter."

North Bay’s successful funding recipients this year are:

  • The Gathering Place Outreach Programs – Teens for Teens and Food Rescue
  • The North Bay Warming Centre
  • PADDLE (Providing Adults with Developmental Disabilities Lifelong Experiences) - Participant fee subsidy
  • Canadian Red Cross – Senior Transportation

“Because of United Way we have been able to keep our promise to families that our fees will remain attainable," states Megan Johnson, Executive Director at PADDLE. "You cannot put a value on that promise. After the age of 21 the mandated services for people with complex special needs dramatically change and therefore so do the emotional and financial stresses. We thank the United Way for allowing us to change the quality of life for adults with disabilities and their families in our community. We also thank the United Way for believing in and valuing the individuals we serve.”

Dennis Chippa, Executive Director for the North Bay Warming Centre said “North Bay Warming Centre has been taking in folks for five years, allowing them a spot to warm up during the evening in the winter, and offering cots if they need one. We continue to be donation dependent, so with this support from United Way, we can keep operating another few months next winter."

The Gathering Place, another recipient of United Way funding, will be focusing on meal outreach with their Teens for Teens and Food Rescue food programs. Teens for Teens is a new program. Dennis says, “this seed money from United Way allows us to provide a healthy lunch to them, using outreach rather than having them fight the teen stigma of coming to the kitchen, they can find a meal and we can provide a healthy option to them”.

Erika Lougheed, Manager of the Nipissing and Parry Sound districts at United Way says, “United Way focused on providing support for urgent and emerging needs in the Nipissing District. The agencies we are focusing on are managing our community’s basic needs such as shelter, food, transportation, and social inclusion. Most of our newly funded partners are not receiving financial support outside direct community donations and it puts an incredible amount of financial burden on the important work they do.”