The Saskatoon Community Clinic is pleased to have received three grants, each in the amount of $ 5000, to sustain and grow the Peer Leaders Program from Affinity Credit Union, Saskatoon Community Foundation and Saskatoon Community Clinic Foundation. Pictured here, receiving the Affinity Credit Union grant, are (from left to right) Lisa Clatney (Saskatoon Community Clinic Executive Director), Kurt Holfeuer (Affinity Credit Union Director) and Della Kinequon (Peer Group Leader).
The Westside Clinic Community Peer Leaders Program is a community engagement and capacity building initiative with a 10-year history.
The goal of the program is to support peer leaders from the Westside community who, in turn, support program participants and health care providers in exercise, health education, nutrition and food security activities offered at inner city facilities such as the Westside Clinic, White Buffalo Youth Lodge and the Saskatoon Food Bank. The program is a partnership with the Saskatoon Health Region Aim for Health Diabetes initiative.
The three grants will be used to sustain and grow the Community Peer Leader Program. Each is worth $5000, and differs in the type of activity supported.
Saskatoon Community Foundation
This funding will be used to offer education and training opportunities for current and new peer leaders. Opportunities being considered include: Food Safety; CPR and first aid; training to lead Collective Kitchens; and mental health.
Saskatoon Community Clinic Foundation
The Saskatoon Community Clinic Foundation funding enables the Community Peer Leader Program to offer Collective Kitchen cooking sessions at the Westside Clinic. This is a new activity for both the peer leaders and our Westside Clinic. A collective kitchen is a small group of people who pool their resources to make healthy, low cost food in bulk to take home and share with their families. Collective Kitchens are one way to address household food security.
Affinity Credit Union District Council Funding
Affinity Credit Union District Council Funding has been granted to address food security. The money purchases food for a variety of food related activities supported by the community peer leaders. It enables the peer leaders to offer meals and snacks, fresh food markets and food bags for participants of Fitness Food Fun, a health education and exercise program, offered three times a week. Affinity Credit Union funds will also be used to provide emergency food for Westside Clinic and Aim 4 Health clients; that is, soup bags and ready to prepare foods.
A portion of each grant also goes toward the payment of honorarium to peer leaders in respect of the time they commit and the responsibilities they have in delivering valuable community programming.
We are very grateful for receipt of these grants and thank our granting partners for their support of this initiative.
For more information contact Lisa Clatney, Executive Director.