Friendship Centre receives grant from Stratford Perth Community Foundation

Funding will be used to launch “Friendship Centre Without Walls”

The St. Marys Friendship Centre has been given a funding boost. The centre recently received $20,000 from the Stratford Perth Community Foundation through the Government of Canada’s Emergency Community Support Fund.

The centre is using the funding to launch a new “Friendship Centre without Walls” program. The initiative is an expansion of the current Community Wellness Program, which was started in March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Friendship Centre Without Walls will offer meal deliveries, grocery support and telephone-check-in calls, plus an array of virtual programming. Programs will be offered online and over the phone to ensure that those without internet access are staying connected.

The extra funding will help staff build on their current slate of programming and add new offerings that will be scheduled on a monthly basis. 

“We have all experienced social isolation over the past number of months; but for many older adults in St. Marys, isolation was a reality even before COVID-19,” said Jenny Mikita, Senior Services Supervisor for the Town of St. Marys. “This funding will help us ensure that our residents are staying socially engaged and connected, while still following all physical distancing recommendations.”

Examples of Friendship Centre without Walls programming include fitness classes, trivia, travel chats, knit and coffee groups, and the ever popular St. Marys Museum lectures. Monthly programming calendars can be emailed to registrants or dropped off by volunteers

To register for the Friendship Centre Without Walls program or to volunteer, call 519-284-3272 or email friends@town.stmarys.on.ca.

For more information, visit townofstmarys.com/communitywellness.

- 30 -

Contact

Brett O’Reilly | Corporate Communications & Events Manager
519-284-2340, ext. 432 | boreilly@town.stmarys.on.ca