NEOFACS AND FFAONE TO HOST FOURTH ANNUAL FOSTER FAMILY APPRECIATION WEEK FOOD DRIVE AND BBQ FUNDRAISER
Help spread kindness by stocking the pantries of families in need
TIMMINS — On Saturday, October 15, 2022, North Eastern Ontario Family and Children’s Services (NEOFACS) and the Foster Families Association Ontario North-East (FFAONE) are teaming up once again to host their annual Foster Family Appreciation Week Food Drive and BBQ Fundraiser. The event hopes of ensuring families in need do not go hungry this fall.
Community members are being encouraged to come out to Johnson's Your Independent Grocer on Algonquin Boulevard from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to donate non-perishable foods, cleaning supplies and personal hygiene items in hopes of filling the shelves at the Timmins Food Bank. Hots dogs, hamburgers and beverages will also be available for purchase by donation.
Food insecurity has been a troubling issue for families in recent years and the rising cost of living has left many struggling to make ends meet. According to Food Banks Canada, there was a 20 per cent increase in food bank visits across Canada during the pandemic and one-third of food bank users are children.
“Families live with many concerns in their daily lives, worrying about where their next meal will come from should not be one of them. We want to ensure that the Timmins Food Bank has the support it needs to help our neighbours,” said Mike Emond, President of the FFAONE. “Caring for kids is our collective responsibility so we want to let our community know that help is available and no one is alone.”
The food drive kicks off NEOFACS’ celebrations for Foster Family Appreciation Week, which takes place the third full week of October every year. The week recognizes and celebrates the critical role that foster families play in the lives of children and youth in our communities.
As part of the event, resources promoting the need for foster families in Timmins and the surrounding area will be handed out.
“NEOFACS works hard, in partnership with families, to keep children and youth at home. But, when children cannot remain with their primary caregivers and kin placements are not available, foster families provide children and youth with a safe family setting during a difficult time,” said Christine Miller, Program Supervisor at NEOFACS. “We try our best to find foster families that best match the identity of the children and youth we are placing and within the community the child is from since children and youth do better when they are placed in homes that are connected to their family, community, and identity.”
Foster caregivers are a key part of the team that supports children and youth in the child welfare system, including by facilitating pathways to lifelong connections with family and community for the young people in their homes. To learn more about fostering with NEOFACS, call 705-360-7100 ext. 5222, email foster@neofacs.org, or visit https://www.neofacs.org/foster.
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About NEOFACS:
North Eastern Ontario Family and Children’s Services (NEOFACS) is an integrated agency, providing services to children, youth and their families in the Districts of Cochrane and Timiskaming. Our client-responsive programs and services are innovative, evidence-based, and designed to meet the unique needs of those we serve. Our Agency provides a number of programs and services in the areas of Child Welfare, Child and Youth Mental Health, Youth Justice, and Prevention programs along with a number of other programs and services. For more information, please visit https://www.neofacs.org.
For more information, please contact:
Mélanie Watson, Communications Coordinator
North Eastern Ontario Family and Children’s Services
705-360-2121 | melanie.watson@neofacs.org