Several local groups are receiving money in what will be the last year of Norfolk’s Community Grant Program.
Council directed staff to discontinue the program with substantial resources and time required for its administration being specifically listed.
The program provides funding to non-profit organizations for community-based projects that support Norfolk’s strategic goals.
It does not serve as a primary funding source for non-profits, but rather as a supplemental funding tool designed to assist with new initiatives or support projects that fall outside of Norfolk County’s core services.
In total, 23 applications were reviewed by a selection committee consisting of members from six council advisory committees, along with five County staff members.
After thorough evaluation, the committee recommended seven projects for funding, totaling $26,500 for the year.
The following organizations were selected for funding:
Haldimand-Norfolk REACH (Child Nutrition Network) – $7,200
Child and Family Services of Grand Erie Foundation – $4,000
Strong Start Charitable Organization – $5,000
South Coast Community for Caring – $3,200
Young Caregivers Association – $2,000
Front Door Ministry – $3,100
CCSYR (Catholic Community Services of York Region – Simcoe Location) – $2,000
In addition to the $26,500 Community Grant allocation, Norfolk County also provides historical grants to certain long-standing recipients.
These include:
Houghton Ag Society
Delhi Fall Fest
North Wal Ag Society
Port Rowan Bayfest
Donnybrook Fair/Charlotteville Agricultural Society
Each of these historical grants is set to be gradually reduced by $500 annually until fully phased out.
Additionally, $5,000 is allocated annually for high school bursaries, distributed among five Norfolk County High Schools.
Below is a write up, submitted by the groups who received the funding, explaining in more detail what they do and where that money would be going:
Haldimand-Norfolk REACH (Child Nutrition Network)
The Student Nutrition Program (SNP) is partially funded by the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services and is administered regionally by H-N R.E.A.C.H. The Ministry’s funding serves as seed capital, designed to stimulate additional fundraising efforts and secure further grant opportunities, thereby fostering
the long-term sustainability of the program. To meet the program’s nutritional standards, all meals and snacks must include fruits and/or vegetables, a requirement that significantly contributes to the overall cost of the initiative. As such, ongoing financial support is essential to ensure the continued success and viability of the
program. In this regard, the Child Nutrition Network’s Farm to School Program plays a vital role in providing the necessary fruits and vegetables for each program, helping to meet the daily nutritional requirements.
Child and Family Services of Grand Erie Foundation
The Kids to Camp program provides vulnerable children and youth involved with Child and Family Services of Grand Erie (Children’s Aid Society) access to summer camp, extracurricular activities, and cultural enrichment. Last year, 140 children participated, but with the rising cost of living, more families than ever are facing economic hardship, making these experiences completely out of reach without financial assistance. The demand continues to grow, and this funding will help ensure that more children have the chance to participate in meaningful childhood experiences.
Strong Start Charitable Organization
The Letters, Sounds and Words™ program offers early literacy intervention for children in Year 2 Kindergarten to grade 2 who struggle with literacy skills. Trained community volunteers work one-on-one with children for 30 minutes, 2-3 times per week, over a 10-week period. The program, based on research, includes four
strands: identifying letters, learning letter sounds, decoding and building words, and reading words in text. Schools run two 10-week rounds per year, using engaging games and activities to build literacy skills and confidence. Strong Start provides training, materials, and support, partnering with schools and communities to recruit volunteers and ensure the program’s success.
South Coast Community Caring for Cancer
This year’s project is for Tim Horton Gift Cards and Esso Gas Cards. When we build our bags we place a $20 Tim Hortons Gift card in the bag to provide a coffee to the receiver or their caregiver while they are at treatment or appointments. We also provide a $50 gas card to those who live within Norfolk County and receive our bag and are not receiving treatment or hospitalization or appointments at the Hamilton Health Sciences Hospitals where we have parking passes for, this helps a bit with gas for traveling.
Young Caregivers Association
At YCA, our most popular program is our Life Skills program. With this grant we want to combine our Life Skills Cooking Program with our Life Skills Budgeting Program. This would include helping the participants create a budget based on the menu, taking them grocery shopping, returning to Hazel’s Place to cook their meal and then sending them home with their meal kit so they can prepare that meal for their family. There would be three separate programs: breakfast, lunch and dinner, each with 8 participants. Objectives: budgeting, grocery shopping, cooking with instructions in a group setting, cooking independently Meeting objectives: Staying within their budget, acquiring all ingredients, making a delicious meal, repeating at home, learning several new skills, answering an evaluation of the program
Front Door Ministry – St. Paul Presbyterian Church
The Front Door Ministry was developed to help the less fortunate of Simcoe and Norfolk County who come to the church looking for food, water, and any resources available to them. The objective of the project is to help needy neighbors looking for help from our church. Since St. Paul’s is part of the downtown area of Simcoe, we see the needs of homeless, addicted, and impoverished individuals in our community. Since we are a giving organization, people turn to us in times of need, as evidenced by the number of individuals who ring our doorbell looking for help. We meet our objectives by distributing 30 to 40 food bags of nonperishable food items and ten to fifteen, $25 Food Basics grocery store gift cards each week. We also hand out donations of personal hygiene products, tents, blankets, coats, socks, mitts, hats, and scarves, as available. We host a coffee hour every Thursday from 8:30 to 9:30 am at the church where we serve coffee, tea, and other beverages, as well as fresh food items like fruit, yogurt, cheese, and other treats. During the coffee hour, we distribute the $25 grocery food cards. We track the distribution of food cards and lunch bags. We attempt to give one food card to each individual per month. We offer welcome, friendship, support, and community to those in need. To meet our objectives, we need donations of money or grocery food cards, funds to purchase fresh foods, and funds and donations of non-perishable food items, as well as donations of tents, blankets, clothing items and personal hygiene products.
CCSYR (Catholic Community Services of York Region- Simcoe Satellite Office)
The 2nd annual Farm Worker Appreciation Harvest Event is a community-driven initiative held in partnership with Burning KILN winery in August 2025. It aims to celebrate and honor the contributions of farm workers essential to the local agricultural economy. The event fosters unity by bringing together farm workers, business owners, and community members, highlighting the critical role of farm workers while offering a platform for local businesses to showcase their products. Featuring a farm-to-farm tug-of-war contest, multicultural entertainment, and diverse vendors, the event promotes community engagement, cultural exchange, and appreciation for farm workers in a fun, inclusive atmosphere.