Three area non-profits providing much-needed services in North Simcoe have some extra financial help from Tiny Township.
Representatives from the recipient organizations appeared at a recent virtual committee of the whole meeting to thank council for its support.
"Thank you so much for recognizing our service," said Cathy Greer, executive director of Community Outreach, which received $6,000. "We depend very heavily on donations, fundraising and grants. The fundraising has been non-existent this year. These funds are very important for us to continue our services."
The non-profit provides about 400 rides a month split between the four municipalities, she said. This is usually done through volunteer drivers, added Greer.
"During COVID-19, we've had to use paid drivers and our two vans, one of which is totally accessible," she said. "That's been expensive on our part because of the number of rides we've had to make due to the fact that a number of organizations have suspended their transportation programs. We find ourselves taking a lot of people to their dialysis or cancer treatment appointments."
Greer said the non-profit caters mostly to seniors that don't have access to transportation.
"This is a lifeline for them," she noted, "especially through COVID-19 when their family can't come up and help them. We're stepping in and providing a lot of assistance in that area, which helps with mental health, physical health and isolation."
Greer said her organization is providing an essential service, especially during the pandemic.
"Tiny has been identified as having the highest population proportion of seniors in Simcoe County," she said. "That's only to going to increase, as you know. They're all going to need some assistance to stay in their own homes."
Another organization that's providing a similar essential service in the area is Huronia Seniors Volunteer Care Team - Wheels 4 Wheels, which received $5,000.
Sharon Randall, president of the non-profit, said she was happy to be there.
"Thank you so much for your ongoing support," she said, addressing council. "You've been a really big donor through the years and it's encouraging to see we're not the only ones who think transportation for seniors is important."
Community donations during the pandemic, said Randall, have gone down to almost zero.
"Your funds are going to allow us to keep operating," she said. "We've pledged to be of assistance if any of the local nursing homes or retirement homes need to evacuate in an emergency. Even though we're not operating as per usual right now, we have to stay ready and active, keep our van operational. All of that overhead costs money."
Randall said she and her organization couldn't wait to get back to business as usual.
The third recipient of the morning was the North Simcoe Family Health Team (NSFHT), which was given $10,000 for its Virtual Physician Network program.
Andrew Shantz, executive director of the health team, especially thanked Mayor George Cornell, who showed an interest and faith in the program when it was launched earlier this year.
"The Virtual Care program was initiated at the start of the year for individuals in our community that do not have a family doctor," said Shantz. "It is done virtually and it's actually quite timely for this COVID period because we're still able to provide medical appointments for individuals in their homes, provided they have the technology."
Currently in the pilot stage, he said, the program has enrolled more than 450 residents, who are served through four physicians that are providing virtual medical care services for Tiny and other municipalities.
"On average, we add 25-30 clients to the program each week," said Shantz. "We're hoping it maintains for a longer period of time because we're having great results."
