Shelter, Food and Hope.
Perhaps a lot of us would associate these three things with a place to call home, quality meals and spiritual pursuits. Well for some, too many, these three things can be thought of as safety, enough nourishment to stay healthy, and the absence of despair. Within most communities in Ontario there are arguably, for a variety of reasons, those who lack these basic human needs. But is it the way it has to be? Do we as citizens have resources within our own communities to help those less fortunate than ourselves? The short, simple truth is yes! So what is missing? What is the secret ingredient to right these wrongs? It is we. So not pretending to have all of the answers but to share some of what Noble Enterprises Canada is working on, read on.
Shelter – Making it affordable. In Cornwall Ontario there are a large number of properties that are quite reasonably priced. These properties can be purchased, renovated to acceptable standards, including those for seniors and the disabled, and then rented at the affordable rates set out by the government at a reasonable profit. This is possible through utilizing existing grants and forgivable loans available from both the Provincial and Federal governments for the renovations. By taking the long view of realizing equity growth over a 10 to 20 year time frame, this type of philanthropic investment can fill a much-needed gap within the community. A step further would see the matching of the need for local college/high school students obtaining their practical or volunteer hours through working on things such as the renovations, personal support worker functions, and general volunteer work to benefit these projects.
Food – A hand up, not a hand out. In the Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry area of Ontario there is a considerable amount of arable land that sits fallow and unutilized. A large portion of this is farmland not being used by its owners. In some cases it is people who have retired from farming. In other cases it is families who have purchased homes with sizeable tracts of land that isn’t used any longer for agricultural pursuits. NECANA is set to be offering family sized garden plots this coming year to those who wouldn’t otherwise have access to land for this purpose. The only condition on the free use of the land will be that 10% of what is grown will be donated to the local food bank. Additionally NECANA will attempt to match people within the area who have agricultural experience, perhaps retired farmers, with those who lack the knowledge and are looking for a mentoring situation. This program may expand to include allowing families to graze their animal or shared animal in pasture that otherwise sits unused. In a country such as ours with such potential to grow food it is wrong to let some go with out, should they want to grow their own.
Hope – With it everything is possible, without it nothing is possible. For some people it is easy to gain access to phenomenal mentors and learning opportunities through family and friends. For other people, specifically youth, who don’t have the networks or family connections it can be extremely difficult to arrange these opportunities. How many Einsteins, Ghandis, Mozarts or others are lost to us because they don’t get the chance to be mentored? Through liaising with schools, community groups, open source and social media; NECANA will endeavor to foster opportunities to connect deserving people with such mentoring opportunities.
One size fits all solutions seldom work. Thankfully if we were to each dedicate some time, on a weekly basis, there could be thousands of hours put towards solutions. Imagine what your community could look like if each person spent just one hour a week doing something noble for a fellow community member who needs the help. Well in the greater Cornwall area that could mean roughly 50 000 hours each week of volunteer time! Together we can make a difference, one person at a time.
James Borer, CEO
Noble Enterprises Canada - NECANA
