Provincial award for Bezanson Agricultural Society

· Going house to house in the hamlet to reach out to seniors or those in need in the community

· We used funds received through the Emergency Community Support Fund, the Community Foundation of Northwestern Alberta, and the United Way of Northwest Alberta for the development of new opportunities and job creation.

· Offered sports, recreation and arts programs to children, youth, and adults

· We delivered Christmas packages, cards made by the students and held community events like the fireworks.

· Take a Book Leave a Book

· We helped struggling businesses with the purchase of food services that we could disperse among those needing food or just cheer. As the word got out of what we were doing, people would drop off boxes of food for us to distribute

· We hired individuals to help us who could not make their bill payments due to the lack of work

· Professional services were engaged to help those struggling with mental health or having a loved one struggling

· Being one of the only gyms to remain open, we were able to book adult, youth, and children recreational and sports opportunities 7 days per week. While the increased usage became an incredible asset to helping offset operational costs of the Ag Society’s facilities, there were not enough financial resources to pay for the staff needed to meet the demand of bookings and comply with COVID-19 cleaning regulations. This emergency funding allowed us to employ those in need of work while helping us meet the demands of the gymnasium. As well, this ECSF funding paid for a portion of cleaning supplies which was instrumental in meeting the COVID-19 regulations.

· Formerly a catering business, the Freezin’ Hub, emerged into a business of frozen food products.

by Curtis Galbraith

Provincial award for Bezanson Agricultural Society

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