Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
The Field of Opportunities (FOO) growing project provides grants to community groups in the area and the FOO committee had its most successful year in 2017.
A crop has been grown for the past three years on a roughly 100-acre parcel of land north of businesses on Highway 7 in Holland’s Industrial Park for the project and proceeds from the harvest go to support community organizations in the greater Kindersley area.
Several businesses contribute to the growing project and the FOO committee includes representatives from G3 Canada and Moody’s Equipment. The committee grew a canola crop in 2017 that generated its best results in the three-year history of the project. A total of six community groups received grants.
Brenda Burton, an employee of G3 Canada and a spokesperson for the committee, said a total of $25,000 was dispersed to the six recipients to support their projects. She noted that the grants were awarded at the end of January.
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The FOO spokesperson said the committee received a total of six applications, so each of the applicants received part of the funds.
The committee disperses all of its proceeds from the crop each year, so the number of grants and the amount recipients receive depends on the harvest.
After three years of the FOO project, last year’s crop marks only the second time grants have been awarded to recipients. The committee grew a wheat crop in 2015 and a total of $10,000 was dispersed to two recipients.
A lentil crop was grown in 2016, but the crop was washed out and there were no proceeds to disperse among recipients. The committee grew a canola crop in 2017 and it was the best year for the growing project. Burton said money had to be shared among six recipients because they all met the criteria and “we thought they were all worthwhile applications.”
The latest grants are $5,000 for the Kindersley Aquatic Centre project for accessibility features, $5,000 for NRC Management Inc. for a kitchen project at the Norman Ritchie Community Centre, $5,000 for the Dodsland Community Park Project for new play structures, $5,000 for the Community Recreation of Plenty organization for rink upgrades, $2,500 for the Kindersley Kobra Football Parent Association for a new storage space, and $2,500 for Kindersley Minor Ball for diamond upgrades.
Four of the six grants were awarded to groups in Kindersley. Burton said the other two grants were awarded to groups in the Plenty-Dodsland area, but the area is a home to G3 Canada’s main inland grain terminal in the region.
Burton said G3 Canada will continue its partnership with Moody’s and its other partners for the 2018 growing season. The partnership includes Pat and Deb Holland, who donate the land, Millsap Fuel Distributors Ltd. and Insight Sign & Decal Co. She said the committee would also like to recognize Brad and Blaine Sautner of DuPont Pioneer for donating the canola seed, equipment and time in 2017.
She noted that the committee would also like to thank the Town of Kindersley for abating property taxes on the land. The spokesperson said the tax abatement opened up additional funds for the committee to disperse among the six recipients.
The FOO committee plans to grow a cereal crop in 2018, and it will either be spring wheat or durum. The crop’s success will determine what funding will be available to recipients next year. If the committee has funds to disperse, grant applications will be due at the start of December and the group is excited after last year’s result.
“We are very pleased with the number of applicants,” Burton said, recognizing that word is getting out about the program and it led to the most applicants ever in 2017. “We are looking forward to having a successful crop next year and we may see even more applications.”
Burton said the grant focuses on arts, culture and recreation groups, and the committee wants to send its best wishes to the latest recipients as they continue to raise money for their projects and causes. The committee is looking for sponsorships for the 2018 growing project, so people could contact Burton at G3 Canada if they are interested to help.
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