Supporting Charities During the COVID-19 Crisis

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the number of people requiring basic necessities has grown tremendously. In consultation with community partners and other funders, The Cowan Foundation is working diligently to provide support to charities who are tirelessly working to help those in need during this unprecedented time.

Supported Charities (to date):

Why Not Youth Centre (Brantford) – This charity provides support and programs to homeless and at-risk youth. Due to COVID-19, their food bank has moved to a food drop-off model where youth request food items and they deliver food once or twice per week. They have also launched an online cooking class for at-risk youth where they deliver food and any needed kitchen supplies so they can participate in virtual cooking class lessons. Food has been provided for distribution through these valuable programs.

Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa: This charity provides thousands of children and youth in at-risk neighbourhoods with a safe space after-school and weekends. Programs are provided free of charge and are purposefully designed to drive personal development. Funds were provided to ensure their programs could be continued virtually with a soft/virtual phone system. Their staff can safely work from home with access to a phone system that appears as a Boys and Girls Club number. This allows families to trust in the number that is calling them (which will appear on the display as Boys and Girls Club Ottawa) and allows for their staff to have continuous contact with their most isolated and vulnerable members.

YWCA Kitchener-Waterloo Emergency Shelter: This shelter provides relief and basic needs for single women, transgender women and men, non-binary people and their children. Personal hygiene products were provided to help them meet their current needs.

Operation Sharing Woodstock: This charity provides shelter, food, addiction support and training for individuals and families in Oxford County experiencing financial hardship. Funds to assist with the cost of storing and preparing food have been provided.

Rosewood House (Brantford): Rosewood House in Brantford provides emergency shelter, food, and programs to some of Brantford and Brant County’s most vulnerable community members. Funds to help cover the cost of purchasing personal protective equipment for their staff and residents across three locations have been provided. 

Indwell Community Homes (Hamilton): This charity provides affordable housing with supports to people who were formerly homeless or living in precarious situations, usually as a result of mental illness, addiction or other disabilities. To ensure tenants are able to stay safely in their apartments, food and infrastructure to assist with door-to-door food delivery have been provided. 

Sanguen Health Centre (Waterloo Region): The Sanguen Mobile Health Clinic provides food, clothing and hygiene products to over 350 people each week. Food and hygiene products have been provided for distribution through this program.

Nutrition for Learning (Waterloo Region): Food usually delivered to students at school is now being provided at outdoor pick-up locations (Click here to read a CBC news story about this initiative). Funds to assist with the cost of purchasing food for this initiative have been provided. Currently, they are providing 10,000 nutritional snacks per week.