A non-profit in Okotoks that helps families with young children is among recipients of grant funding from the Government of Alberta.
It Takes a Village Okotoks Community Foundation was recently awarded $60,000 through the Province’s Community Initiatives Program.
It Takes a Village provides kids supplies for families with children up to age five in the Foothills area, said client support coordinator Jacqueline Bill.
“Our bread and butter are baby boxes, which is a year's worth of supplies for babies (from) zero to 12 months,” Bill said.
“We include clothing, blankets, towels, people can ask for highchairs, booster seats, you name it."
The organization provides nearly 60 baby boxes per year and has been operating for 10 years.
Bill said the grant is essential in keeping the foundation's doors open and covers things like insurance, utility bills, wages, or staff training – items not covered by other grants.
As a matching grant, the funding depends on prior support through volunteer hours and individual donations. It Takes a Village had $30,000 in-kind from volunteer time and donations, Bill said.
“If we don't have those donations of time and finances, then we don't get to apply for those grants,” she said. “People give back, and then they give back without even knowing it.”
While the number of baby boxes is steady year to year, the non-profit is seeing more families with children up to age five seeking help.
“The families that come to us are staying with us for longer,” Bill said.
There are no intake requirements for the Baby Box Program, but some programs that are funded by different grants are based on income, she said.
Several other organizations in the Highwood region received support through the Community Initiatives Program, the Government of Alberta said.
The Orenda Community Youth & Family Society, Predator Bay Water Ski Club, Foothills Search and Rescue Society, the Okotoks Food Bank and It Takes a Village are sharing in almost $265,000.
Juliana Rodriguez, press secretary in the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Status of Women, said Alberta’s government is maintaining funding to crucial community grant programs and is committed to supporting local organizations that make a difference in the lives of Albertans.
More information about It Takes a Village is available at takesavillageokotoks.com.
