As the need grows....

We are almost two months into the year and it just feels like time is flying. We expected a slowdown after Christmas, but it just isn't coming. We have had to request an increase in food from Moisson Montreal and they have graciously agreed to give us more. Our list is at 160 families right now and will grow in the next month or two. Unfortunately the need for our services in the West Island is growing every month.

The Community Diner is doing well. The CD crew see about 25 people every Tuesday night. The food has been amazing thanks do Don and Ann and their volunteer cooks. It will be interesting to see what happens as the weather warms up.

We are excited to be working with our friends at AJOI. They are a group of street workers that work with youth in the West Island. They are running a program for teens out of our center once a month, doing hip-hop and graffiti(not to confused with tagging) forums.

We are committed to working with other community organizations that make a difference. As we work together, we better serve our community.

We have added two new board members. Jim Beis, is a city Councillor in Pierrefonds/Roxboro and Al Harapiak, a friend from Alberta who is trying to help us raise awareness of what we are doing here in Montreal, out in Alberta. We are thankful to have both of these guys working with us to increase our impact in this community.

Our big challenges are money and volunteer drivers. We need a few people who can deliver food boxes on Mondays. As I have said before, one of the crazy things about our work is that the need increases as the economy declines. Unfortunately donations decrease at the same time. We are working at building our profile and donor base. If you are already helping, thank you. If you are not involved, please consider partnering with us in feeding those in need in our community.

Peace,

K

Individual Canadians are giving less

The Fraser Institute has released the 2011 Generosity Index report which shows some troubling trends in Canadian philanthropy. The latest report shows a decline in both donations and donors across the country and a continued trend of lower levels of giving in Canada compared with the U.S.
One of the key benchmarks of the Generosity Index is the percentage of income donated to charity by individuals. Compared with the previous report, philanthropy declined in nearly every province and territory, with an overall rate of giving of just .64% of income. Giving varies significantly by region. Of the provinces, Manitobans were most generous, donating .89% of their income. Quebecers continue to donate the least, dropping since the previous report to .30%.

This is a reality that Charities struggle with on a daily basis, especially in Quebec. It is a constant challenge for us at On Rock as we see the need in the community grow.

Peace,

K