The Orléans Cumberland Community Resource Centre (OCCRC) has launched its annual school supply program funding drive with the hope of raising $22,500 for 450 local school children.
It may be hard to believe for some readers, but there are hundreds of families in Orléans who face financial struggles every day. It may be a family in which a parent has recently lost their job and is having a hard time finding a new one, it could be a family struck by illness, or it could a single parent who is struggling to pay their mortgage or rent, along with feeding their kids and buying them clothes.
The Orléans-Cumberland Community Resource Centre and the Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre already helps Orléans residents through a variety of social programs and supports, including financial and family counseling, crisis support and Early Years programs.
In addition, the Orléans-Cumberland Community Resource Centre runs a food bank, which provides emergency food supplies for more than 1,200 individuals a month which includes more than 350 families of varying sizes.
A number, if not all, of those families struggle to purchase school supplies food supplies for their children, especially as the price for everything from pencils to backpacks continues to go up.
You can lend these families a hand by donating to the OCCRC’s school supply program. Through the program, each child will receive a $50 gift card to help buy the school supplies they need.
The OCCRC is only accepting donations made online. Donations of actual school supplies at the Resource Centre will not be accepted.
To make a donation, simply visit the OCCRC website at www.crcoc.ca/en/children-youth/school-supplies-program/.
The Eastern Ottawa Resource Centre (EORC) is teaming up with Caring and Sharing Exchange to provide free backpacks and school supplies for children in its catchment area which includes Beacon Hill and Blackburn Hamlet.
The Caring and Sharing Exchange is a local charity that provides assistance to Ottawa families and individuals in need, during the Christmas season and the back-to-school season. Donations can be made on the EORC website at eorc-creo.ca/donate.
ORLÉANS FARMERS’ MARKET from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Orléans Town Centre Plaza, 290 Centrum Blvd. Browse 130+ local vendors, grab a bite, and discover amazing handmade and local finds. Plenty of parking available.
CUMBERLAND FARMERS’ MARKET from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the R.J. Kennedy Arena in Cumberland Village with a variety of local farmers and vendors ready to showcase their freshest produce, handmade goods, and unique finds! FREE ADMISSION
MILLENNIUM PARK BBQ hosted by Orléans South-Navan councillor Catherine Kitts and Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe from 1-3 p.m. with live music and entertainment by children’s performers Monkey Rock Music, a free BBQ, and tons of family fun.
