Facing possible future dissolution, the Sundre & District Nutrition for Learning Society has received critical public support that ensures its survival for at least another year.
Last month the non-profit registered society was facing a crisis situation with its board. There was not enough members for a quorum. The board needs a minimum of nine members. It was down to five.
With a new calendar year coming up the society placed advertisements in the Round Up. The public answered the call.
“We had a good response from the advertisements and it looks like we will have lots of people on the board this year,” said Carla Valentine, the society's executive director, who has been with the agency for just the past year. “We are out of the woods for this year.
“Our biggest concern is that we'd like to have parents involved,” she added. “Our board now has a president and vice-president who are grandparents. We'd like to get parents of kids in the program involved.”
Valentine added that if the society could not form a board it risked losing its funding. The society operates with a $130,000 annual budget. The money comes from provincial, local and county grants, as well as contributions from the corporate sector.
“We are finally OK to run for a couple of years but if we can't get enough board members it would affect us in the long run,” said Valentine, who is one of three part-time paid employees with the agency.
She said she expects to have the necessary minimum number of board members in time for the agency's Annual General Meeting on Oct. 18.
“The more we have the better,” she said.
The mission of the society is to promote a healthy lifestyle in the community by providing good food choices, nutritional education and positive interaction between youth, parents and the community at large.
To fulfill its mission, the society provides snacks and milk three days a week to the 600 elementary school children at River Valley School. The agency also provides breakfast five days a week to more than 350 students at Sundre High School.
In the meantime, while Valentine is grateful for the recent public response she is hoping more people will step up to help the society.
“Every year we are looking for board members,” she said. “It goes in cycles. Some years there are lots. In some we get just the bare minimum.”
If anyone wants to help the society, located at Greenwood Neighbourhood Place, they can call the office at 403-638-1011.
