Agenda - Mayor's Golf Classic Funds Committee - 20230504Town of Aurora
Mayor's Golf Classic Funds Committee
Meeting Agenda
Date:Thursday, May 4, 2023
Time:10 a.m.
Location:Video Conference
Meetings are available to the public via live stream on the Town’s YouTube channel. To participate,
please visit aurora.ca/participation.
Pages
1.Call to Order
1.1 Appointment of Committee Chair
That a Committee member be elected as Chair of the Mayor's
Golf Classic Funds Committee for a two-year term (2023-2024).
1.
1.2 Appointment of Committee Vice Chair
That a Committee member be elected as Vice Chair of the
Mayor's Golf Classic Funds Committee for a two-year term
(2023-2024).
1.
2.Land Acknowledgement
3.Approval of the Agenda
4.Declarations of Pecuniary Interest and General Nature Thereof
5.Receipt of the Minutes
6.Delegations
7.Matters for Consideration
7.1 Application from York Region Food Network; Re: Community Breakfast
Program
1
That the Application from York Region Food Network; Re:
Community Breakfast Program be received; and
1.
That the Committee provide direction to:2.
Grant the funding request;a.
Deny the funding request; orb.
Defer consideration of the funding request to a future
meeting.
c.
8.Informational Items
9.Adjournment
100 John West Way
Aurora, Ontario
L4G 6J1
(905) 727-3123
aurora.ca
Application to Recieve Funds
The Aurora Mayor’s Charity Golf Classic has raised over $1 million to date and has financially assisted
several community organizations to provide much needed services to residents living in the Town of Aurora.
Recipient selection is conducted annually by the application review and disbursement committee of the
Town of Aurora Mayor’s Charity Golf Classic and is based on the information provided in this application.
Funding Criteria and guidelines;
Individual applicants and community groups must demonstrate financial hardship or a limited means
to retain funds in another manner. Individual applications demonstrating financial hardship will be kept
confidential.
Individuals and organizations may not receive funding for more than two consecutive years.
Funding requests for more than $5,000 in a calendar year will not be accepted.
Funding requests for more than 50% of an initiative will not be considered and applicants must
demonstrate how the remaining funds will be or have been obtained
Applications should demonstrate a benefit to the residents of the Town of Aurora that receiving the
funding will provide
Successful applicants will be required to report back in any way they deem appropriate regarding the
utilization of funds within six (6) months of receiving funds
Name of Individual or Community Group *
York Region Food Network
Address
Street Number and Name *
350 Industrial Parkway South
City/ Town *
Aurora
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Province *
Ontario
Postal Code *
L4G 3V7
Contact Information
Email Address *
joannew@yrfn.ca
Phone Number *
(905) 841-3101
On a separate document, please outline your initiative and any supporting documentation you
have. The information being provided should align with the funding criteria guidelines found
above. Please attach your documentation with this this form.
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March 2nd, 2023
Hello members of the Application Review and Disbursement Committee of the Town of Aurora Mayor’s
Charity Golf Classic.
My name is Joanne Witt, and I am the Director of Fund Development with the York Region Food
Network located in Aurora at 350 Industrial Parkway South. I am submitting this application to receive
$5,000 for our Community Breakfast Program.
The York Region Food Network is a community organization that offers services and programs to
support food security. We also educate and advocate for actions to reduce food insecurity.
Our Vision: Food for health, Food for All.
Whether it’s at a drop-in meal in our community gardens or in community kitchens across the Region,
York Region Food Network connects residents to good food in spaces that are welcoming, inclusive, and
respectful.
The programs/services we provide are:
• Weekly Community Breakfast: We provide a complimentary, healthy breakfast every Tuesday, and
provide a welcoming place at our offices in Aurora where anyone can enjoy a freshly made delicious
meal, connect with others and access information on community resources.
• Good Food Box: Offering fresh fruits and vegetables at a fraction of the retail cost. York Region Food
Network works with local farmers and suppliers to provide Good Food Boxes twice a month.
• Kitchen Programs: Cooking classes and workshops including Community Cooks and Kids in the
Kitchen Urban Agriculture/Community Gardens: York Region Food Network operates 7 collective
gardens. These gardens are designed to bring the community together by sharing the work and
sharing the harvest. Participants have an opportunity to share their skills and learn from others.
These gardens are open to all York Region residents.
• York Region Youth Food Committee: The Youth Food Committee (YFC) offers a platform for youth to
connect with one another and insert their voices into food system issues. Through the YFC, youth
• pursue topics, projects and events that catch their interest, with support from York Region Food
Network.
• Seed Library: York Region Food Network’s Seed Library aims to make seeds accessible to everybody
in our community. Community members are encouraged to use seeds to create their own healthy
produce, exchange and share with other community members.
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Our request is for $5,000 for our Weekly Community Breakfast program. Food insecurity negatively
impacts ones' physical, mental and social health and wellbeing. These impacts manifest themselves
through greater vulnerability of:
- infectious diseases
- heart disease
- hypertension
- chronic conditions like depression and anxiety disorders
- low confidence
- loneliness
- social isolation
This project addresses the mental and social health impacts associated with food insecurity by offering a
weekly community meal where participants have an opportunity to:
- Build friendships and increase social networks.
- Connect with community resources.
- Access a healthy meal.
- Build confidence and resiliency.
- Learn about volunteer, training and other opportunities in the community.
This project will target people who are living with food insecurity. This includes people living on low-
income, seniors, newcomers and refugees, people living with disabilities, Black and Indigenous
community members.
Through this project, we will educate participants on services that are available in the community (e.g.
mental health supports) and connect participants to these supports through means that are non-
stigmatizing. We will also educate about food and nutrition, positive body image and food justice.
Participants will have the opportunity to learn about other programs offered by York Region Food
Network, including our community gardens and community kitchens.
Resources will be used to support the ingredient cost of preparing these meals each week. In this
project, we will serve 300 meals and support 350 community members each week.
As a result of this initiative, we expect participants’ mental and social health will benefit. Outcomes we
expect to see are:
- Participants feel less socially isolated
- Participants have stronger social networks
- Participants have increased awareness about community
services available to them
- Participants have a sense of belonging
- Participants have regular access to a healthy meal
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To determine our success in achieving the above-desired outcomes, we will measure:
- % of participants who report increased social connections
- % of participants who feel less socially isolated
- % of participants who are more aware of resources available
in the community
- # of people accessing meals
- # of meals served
These outcomes will be measured through pre and post initiative surveys, feedback forms and
testimonials, staff observation, data collection during the weekly meal and interviews/conversations
with the participants.
This program will target people living with food insecurity. Based on peer-reviewed research that is
available, people who are the most vulnerable to food insecurity are:
- People living on low-income
- People living with a disability
- Seniors
- Newcomers and refugees
- Black, Indigenous and People of Colour
The York Region Food Network will work actively with community partners to ensure that we are
promoting this program to our target audience and to ensure that the appropriate wrap-around
supports (e.g. transportation, translation) are available to participants.
The most current statistics tell us that:
- 80% of breakfast participants live in Aurora
- 87% of breakfast participants attend weekly
- Participants come to eat a freshly made healthy meal, for the social connections, to get out of the
house and to help manage their food budgets.
Testimonials from the Community Breakfast Program:
“Got to know people I would not meet otherwise.”
“Help with food cost, allows me to take breakfast to shut in seniors.”
“It is a lovely bonus to our food supply and happy to have breakfast made as it is like a trip to a
restaurant which doesn’t happen often in our place.”
“It helps us get out of the house and save on breakfast. The staff are always so friendly.”
Thank you for considering our request for support! Please feel free to reach out if you have any
questions or require additional information.
Joanne Witt
joannew@yrfn.ca / (905) 841-3101
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