Today, Viviane Lapointe, MP for Sudbury announced an investment of $15,534 for Sudbury Shared Harvest through the New Horizons for Seniors Programming. Sudbury Shared Harvest received funding to bring seniors together to lead garden education activities for pre-schoolers and to train other seniors to do the same.

“Supporting the health and well-being of seniors in our community is a top priority. The New Horizons for Seniors program plays a crucial role in enhancing seniors’ quality of life by providing funding for projects like the Sudbury Shared Harvest Connecting Seniors with Little Farmers program. Initiatives like this offer hands-on activities that enable seniors to lead fulfilling lives and remain engaged members within our community.” – Viviane Lapointe, Member of Parliament, Sudbury

Thanks in part to support from the New Horizons for Seniors Program, Sudbury Shared Harvest coordinated construction of garden beds and has set up rain barrels at several daycare centres. Volunteers are also learning to build and maintain indoor worm composting systems and how to lead simple cooking activities as part of the project.

“Seniors are ideal volunteers for this program because they have so much knowledge to share,” says Sudbury Shared Harvest Board Chair Jessica Blaauw. She adds that it can be difficult to find volunteers who are available during the day on weekdays, so its very helpful that the timing often works for seniors.

The New Horizons for Seniors Program is a federal grants and contributions program whose goal is to support projects that help improve the well-being of seniors and foster social inclusion and engagement in their communities.