Dew Drop Inn’s Senior Bag Program
For over 41 years, the Dew Drop Inn has been feeding the hungry in Thunder Bay. Their number of patrons continue to escalate as more and more people struggle with the incredibly high cost of living. With a variety of food programs, the Dew Drop Inn identified a large segment of patrons that are often overlooked – the elderly, which make up over 50% of the organization’s visitors.
Michael Quibell, Executive Director at the Dew Drop Inn, developed this program and applied for a grant from the Thunder Bay Community Foundation in 2022. The “Essentials for Seniors” program will lend a hand by providing assorted essential items for seniors over the age of 60 who are in need.
“The Dew Drop Inn hands out 72 senior bags weekly to lend a helping hand to those over or close to the age of 60 struggling on a fixed income during these challenging times. The Thunder Bay Community Foundation has funded this round of bags from the beginning of January to the end of March. These extras are incredibly helpful to our seniors and include rotating items such as milk, bread, margarine, toilet paper, fruit, soups, produce, peanut butter, coffee, tea etc.” The Dew Drop Inn is grateful for this wonderful support as we simply could not offer this service without assistance from agencies such as the Thunder Bay Community Foundation” said Quibell.
Athena Kreiner, CEO of the Thunder Bay Community Foundation and Amanda Campigotto, Operations and Communications Coordinator at the Thunder Bay Community Foundation were thrilled to help out on Monday, February 6th by handing out the essentials bags at the Dew Drop Inn.
“Investing in and supporting all facets of our community is at the core of what the Thunder Bay Community Foundation does. When donors give to the Community Fund, they know they will be helping people in our community who need it the most. I would like to thank our donors for making this grant possible. They didn’t just give $9,750 to the Dew Drop Inn, they gave the gift of food to elderly people in our community who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it. Their donations enabled people to eat and have access to everyday essentials needed to live. The people who Amanda and I spoke with were extremely grateful and wanted to pass along their heartfelt thanks to our donors for helping them,” says Kreiner.
Each fall, the Thunder Bay Community Foundation provides grants to local non-profit organizations for projects like Essentials for Seniors. St. Andrew’s Dew Drop Inn received $9,750 in funding from the Thunder Bay Community Foundation’s Community Fund to continue this program. In 2022, 33 organizations received a total of 61 grants from the Thunder Bay Community Foundation totaling $302,178.63.
To learn more about the Dew Drop Inn’s programs visit: www.dewdropinnthunderbay.ca
