Help Us Help Community Care!!

Part of the Storm philosophy is to give back to the communities we serve. We are committed helping our friends and neighbours who are in need throughout the year, but especially at Christmas. During the month of December we are collecting donations on behalf of Community Care to help our fellow Niagara residents have a happy holiday season. We are collecting non-perishable food items, new unwrapped toys, and monetary donations at both our St. Catharines and Fonthill locations.

Community Care estimates that 13% of the population of St. Catharines will require access to their food services this year, and 51% of their clients are children and youth – many of whom are at risk of imminent homelessness. In addition to providing food and toys at Christmas, throughout the year Community Care helps to manage community gardens that offer access to fresh and healthy foods for vulnerable populations, they offer utilities assistance programs that help those in danger of disconnection stay warm, and last year they helped 540 young people participate in sports programs through the Canadian Tire Jumpstart program. They’ve also helped over 1100 people with their ID replacement program, which is so important for those who need to access social services or obtain employment, and they distribute over 4000 lbs of food each week. They help feed over 17,000 students in Niagara each day through their work with Niagara Nutrition Partners. They’ve also been tasked with managing the over 11,000 people who have applied for access to shelter or food services this year.

As poverty rates in Niagara continue to escalate, the needs of our community continue to grow as well. We can’t think of a better partner to support than Community Care.  You can learn more about the amazing work that Community Care does by clicking here: http://www.communitycarestca.ca/

We can all feel stretched a little thin at this time of year, but it only takes a small act of kindness to make a huge difference in someone’s life. If you’ve got an appointment coming up, please bring in a donation. If not, stop in with something to drop off so we can thank you in person!

Happy Holidays from everyone at Storm, and THANK YOU for helping us help our friends and neighbours have a happy holiday season.