Maple Grove United Church Information

At Maple Grove, we provide seed money for farmers in Clifford to grow crops. In turn, they provide us with agricultural products to sell so that we can send them cash. We have sold pumpkins, corn, and now we sell oatmeal and wild bird seed. Selling the product brings in a small return - we really need to have members "donate" monies in return for the product so that more cash can enhance our Maple Grove/ Clifford donation to the Foodgrains Bank. A recent area of growth has been community growing projects where a group of farmers, non-farmers and agri-businesses get together to farm a common plot of land and donate the crop to the Foodgrains Bank. Last year, such projects contributed over 15,000 tonnes of grain. In the fiscal year ending March 31, 2005, Canadian farmers responded to the hunger of others by donating over 22,000 metric tonnes of grain to the Foodgrains Bank. The total value of this grain plus cash donations received reached $7 million last year. The Canadian International Development Agency matches our shipments on a 4:1 basis up to a maximum of $16 million a year. This greatly enhances the amount of food and assistance we can provide. Where Does the Grain Go? Food collected by the Foodgrains Bank is distributed based on need, regardless of religious or political affiliation. In 2004/2005, food assistance was provided to people in 18 countries in response to poverty, natural disaster and conflict. The food is used in one of three ways: To provide immediate nutrition for people in emergency situations i.e. severe drought; To feed people as they rebuild and replant until a new crop is harvested i.e. after flooding; To provide food as wages in food-for-work programs where people and their communities work on longer-term projects such as irrigation and improving farmland so that, in the future, people will be able to feed themselves.