United Way St. Marys Community Committee co-chairs, Rob and Leslie Edney joined with staff from Cascades Containerboard to celebrate the company’s support of the St. Marys community through a $10,000 donation to United Way Perth-Huron (UWPH).

Thanks to the support of committed local companies such as Cascades, United Way has been able to address pressing local needs in the St. Marys community. Last year, the Town of St. Marys and United Way worked to address social isolation in the community through the creation of a Community Developer and Support Worker role in collaboration with Family Services Perth-Huron. The Community Developer and Support Worker, Cody Cunningham, began his work supporting community members, especial those living in and around social housing, in March of 2021.

Two years ago, UWPH was instrumental in identifying the issue of food insecurity as a pressing need and helping launch the St. Marys NOURISH Equal Access Food Market. The market offers access to fresh, nutritious, locally sourced produce and meats to residents facing food insecurity every day. Last year, even with the additional challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, 162 local residents were helped by the NOURISH market.

The help provided by the Community Developer and Support Worker and NOURISH Market were in addition to 12 other supported partners and services already working in the St. Marys community. Partners included the St. Marys Youth Centre, ONE CARE, the YMCA of Stratford-Perth, Connect Youth Perth-Huron, the Emily Murphy Centre and the John Howard Society of London and District. In total, these partners helped 1,983 local residents in a time of need.