City and Counties chip in for food programs

CORNWALL — Using one-time funding from the provincial government, the City of Cornwall and SDG Counties is providing funds to local foodbanks and programs.

Combined, the nearly $80,000 in funding will be shared in every part of the region.

“This initiative reflects the shared responsibility of municipalities to support residents facing financial hardship,” said SDG Counties Warden François Landry. “By working together with our community partners, we are providing timely, practical support to organizations that are responding directly to food insecurity across the region.”

Cornwall Mayor Justin Towndale recognized the increased demand for services highlighting food insecurity.

“This one-time funding recognizes the critical role these organizations play in supporting residents and helps ensure they can continue providing essential services to those who need them most,” said Towndale.

In all, $79,307 has been split across five organizations. Each will receive about $15,860 from the one-time funding. Those organizations include: Community Food Share (Winchester, Morrisburg, and Williamsburg), St. Vincent de Paul Society (Alexandria), House of Lazarus (Mountain), Agape Centre (Cornwall) and St. Vincent de Paul Society (Cornwall).

“Our local food programs are on the front lines of responding to poverty and affordability pressures,” said Mellissa Morgan, general manager of Human Services with the City of Cornwall. Cornwall manages shared services for SDG through an agreement.. “This one-time funding helps address immediate needs while reinforcing our commitment to working collaboratively with community partners to support vulnerable residents.”

This is the latest collaboration and use of provincial funding to municipalities by Cornwall and SDG. During the pandemic, the two municipalities funded Temporary Last Resort Fund, which provided financial assistance through the United Way of SDG for people in precarious financial situations. That program ended in 2024.