Share Family and Community Services will be able to use $10,000 it received from the city of Port Moody last year, even though it no longer needs the van it intended to buy with the funds.
Claire MacLean, Share’s CEO, told Port Moody council at its meeting Tuesday the society reached out to city staff about the grant after it decided in January to close its Share’d Treasures thrift shop on St. Johns Street this spring. The money, which was awarded as part of the city’s community grant program, was earmarked to help replace an aging van that is used to transport donated items.
Instead, MacLean said, Share hopes to use the money to support other programs it operates that have been hobbled by a shortfall of financial support from the United Way. She said those programs include its Tiny Bundles program, which supports new moms, as well as the family resource program it operates in Port Moody in conjunction with its food bank to provide help to clients and forge connections with community services.
“This would go a long way to sustaining that,” she said.
At a meeting of council’s finance committee last week, a recommendation was passed to request Share return half the grant as it wouldn’t be fair to other community organizations that receive funds based on addressing specific needs.
Port Moody’s community grants are awarded based on the recommendations of the city’s citizen advisory committee, which is comprised of 250 volunteer residents. Last year, $17,100 was doled out through the program, including: $5,000 to the Burrard Inlet Marine Enhancement Society for programming like guest speakers and community nature walks; $1,100 to the Pocomo Meals on Wheels Society to help it pay the cost of providing meals; and $1,000 to the Volunteer Cancer Drivers Society to reimburse volunteer drivers for minor expenses and fuel. Share’s grant was the largest.
Tuesday, several councillors said with more specific information about how Share could use the money, they are now comfortable with the society retaining the funds and allocating them to those programs.
“Share has come back very responsibly,” said Coun. Hunter Madsen, who had originally proposed the 50% refund at finance committee.
“I think their record speaks for itself,” Coun. Steve Milani said of Share. “I have no doubt they’re going to put the entire amount to good use.”
Coun. Diana Dilworth cautioned allowing Share to retain the money and use it for other purposes could set a precedent, saying, “It seems we’re taking a new program and we’re being quite casual with it.”
But Port Moody’s chief financial officer, Paul Rockwood, said city staff is in the process of further refining the parameters of the community grant program, which could include a provision that a group returns funds if it no longer needs them for the purpose they were intended to address.
“We don’t have that now, so we’re kinda building the plane as we fly,” he said.
