Help us fight hunger on Nova Scotia’s South Shore!

Help us fight hunger on the South Shore of Nova Scotia!

Together with your help, we can shore up our community...one pillar at a time!

Few of us worry about finding our next meal. Few of us feel the gnawing pain of hunger, or the fear of allowing our children to go hungry. If you knew you had neighbours in need, who couldn’t afford to feed themselves or their families because of the rising cost of goods, would you step in to help?

That’s what we’re here to facilitate: Nova Scotia is the most food insecure province in the country and people all around us are going hungry. While we understand that hunger is a consequence of poverty, we also believe that our community has the resources and generosity necessary to fight hunger and bridge the inequality gap.

We, The Shore Group, need your help to Shore Up* our neighbours in need.

‘Shore up’, meaning to: support, prop up, bolster or keep things from falling by placing something (ie. a building material like wood or metal) under or against it.

Who are we and why are we raising funds?

We are The Shore Group . We are proud, passionate Mahone Bay residents and business owners that believe in the power and potential of our caring and compassionate community.

It all started back in the Fall of 2023 when Danielle King (Kitch'inn Hospitality Group, Myra Media Inc.), Jen Laughlin (Schoolhouse Gluten-Free Gourmet), and Norberto Cáceres (Local Chef, Experienced Non-Profit Leader) came together to discuss complex challenges related to food security in the local community they all call home. Through their discussions, they agreed that while food banks are a vital, valuable resource, they are struggling to meet the demand and need our help. This doesn’t come as a surprise, as you may recall that Stats Canada released reports earlier this year stating that Nova Scotia is the least food secure province in Canada (Farmers’ Markets of Nova Scotia wrote a great blog here about the topic and have been raising a ton of awareness about this news). Food Banks Canada also gave our province as a whole a D- in their poverty report card, but for poverty measures, we received an F.

Our Impact To Date:

As of today’s date, we have accomplished the following with support from the community, local funders, investors and volunteers:

With rising rent/housing costs, fewer job opportunities, wait times for access to health care longer than they ever have been… the last thing anyone should have to worry about is whether or not they can put dinner on the table.

A simple question we can all ask ourselves: If your neighbour couldn’t afford to put dinner on the table, would you help? If we all donated the cost of a single dinner to the cause, the impact felt across Mahone Bay and surrounding area would be far-reaching and more profound than we can even begin to imagine.

Our targets:

We have three phases/targets to reach through our GoFundMe campaign, leading up to our long-term goal of raising as much as we can towards our capital campaign of $150,000. This amount would allow us to take our project from offering ready made meals every month to creating a community hub in Mahone Bay that offers programs and services free of charge and open to all that could include:

Fundraising phases:

Phase 1: Launches November 19, 2024 - GoFundMe goes live with the initial target of $12,000 (for 2025 meals, this breaks down to $1000 per month*) to produce ready made meals to distribute to members of the community in need.

*For context, it costs approx. $1000 dollars to make enough meals each month if no food, labour or packaging is donated from businesses run by members of our board or the local community.

Phase 2: Date TBD (When we reach $12,000) Goal raised to $40,000 ($28,000 needed to meet next goal tier). Funds will be used to rent a facility/space for a 12-month period with a commercial kitchen in Mahone Bay starting in January 2025.

Phase 3: Date TBD (When we reach $40,000) Goal raised to $150,000 ($110,000 needed to meet final goal tier). Funds will be used for labour, operational expenses and administration costs for one year to staff the 'Shore Up' community hub in Mahone Bay to offer programs and services, free of charge and open to all.

Our Mission/How The Funds Will Be Used:

Funds raised will directly impact our ability to expand our services and to cover a larger service area as our capacity grows. Food insecurity is a serious issue in Mahone Bay, on the South Shore, and in communities across the province/the country at large.

We have started collaborations with 'Food Vibes' in Riverport and 'We Feed Lunenburg'. We will continue to grow and expand these partnerships.

It's time to engage our community to help SHORE UP! the resources necessary, such as volunteer time, financial or food donations, community engagement and advocacy. Funds raised will also allow us to build our team to continue to gather feedback, identify gaps, and continuously improve as we learn and target root causes of poverty in the South Shore.

Why are so many members of our community going hungry?

The cost of living is out of control, and it has caused a ripple effect felt across the province. Many Nova Scotians, including neighbours and community members here on the South Shore, rely on social services and provincially-funded programs, like Food Banks – especially when they have specific dietary needs or face circumstantial challenges.

Poverty and lack of access to basic needs is a multilayered and complex issue, affected by different factors such as the price of housing, rising cost of food and goods, lack of sustainable work opportunities, mental health and/or addiction issues, etc.

How can you help?

https://www.eventbrite.ca/inaugural-gala-winter-warmth-with-mark-dewolf-tickets-1083646187919?aff=ebdssbdestsearch&keep_tid=1

Unable to attend the Gala?

Individual donations are always welcome and appreciated – any amount, regardless of how much or the frequency, your dollar makes a world of difference to people living right here in our community. Whether you can pass on the value of your morning cup of coffee, a single meal, or few days of groceries – every little bit counts! How can I donate?

Uncomfortable with online payments/online banking? Donations accepted by cheque addressed to: The Shore Group - 538 Main St, Mahone Bay, NS, B0J 2E0

Prefer to volunteer your time?

We are always looking for volunteers! Examples of the types of volunteer services needed most:

Interested in any of these volunteer services? Have an idea of your own? Get in touch - we'd love to hear from you!

Most importantly help us spread the word. Share our GoFundMe campaign, follow us on Facebook, Instagram & LinkedIn. Like, share and comment on our posts to help spread the word about our GoFundMe campaign, our upcoming inaugural Gala and our mission to ensure that no one in our community goes hungry.