Community
Lending Cupboard Releases It’s Community Needs Assessment
By Sheldon Spackman
The Lending Cupboard in Red Deer shared results of it’s Community Needs Assessment with Central Albertans on Tuesday and it shows a growing need for their services. Those services include the lending of medical equipment, free of charge to those who need it.
With the purpose of gathering information that can assist the organization in making evidence-based decisions in its planning and strategies, the report has many key findings in numerous areas.
It’s expected roughly 20 percent of Albertans will be over the age of 65 by 2036, with 8 out of 10 living in the QE2 Corridor by 2041. Presently, Wetaskiwin, Stettler, Olds and Ponoka all have Seniors populations of roughly 20 percent.
Other highlights indicate Alberta’s Cost of Living is amongst the highest in Canada, with current economic conditions driving more people into poverty and putting their health at risk. The report also says people living in rural areas have additional barriers and challenges to accessing health services and supports.
The Lending Cupboard’s Community Needs Assessment also shows that the increased urbanization of First Nations people, in addition to a reported rise in chronic health conditions within this group, will impact the demand for equipment from the Lending Cupboard. It’s also anticipated the Hutterite population will continue to be a strong user group, with increased immigrant populations expected to become more aware of the Lending Cupboard in the coming years as well, to impact demand on Lending Cupboard services for the foreseeable future.
Economic uncertainty and instability is still expected for the next year, though some economic rebound is anticipated in 2017. However, low oil prices will impact overall prosperity and growth for the next five to ten years. Multi-generational changes in the workforce may impact local donations and volunteerism as well and government funding opportunities and corporate sponsorships may also be less available in the short-term but community giving remaining strong.
On the healthcare side of things, despite medical advances, the report says nearly all the diseases, disorders and health conditions pertinent to the Lending Cupboard are on the rise. The aging population is potentially the most important matter as it relates to the future of the Lending Cupboard as the seniors age group will continue to grow over the next 20 years. Orthopedic surgeries are the most prevalent in this growing age group, with falls an increasing issue amongst seniors. Seniors who live alone are also more common in rural areas of Central Alberta where support services may not be as readily available. This as the number of injuries and accidents in Alberta increases each year.
The Community Needs Assessment also reveals that hospital stays after surgery are getting shorter as the Home Care program in the province continues to grow. This area of AHS does not provide funding to the Lending Cupboard despite Home Care being one of the highest points of referral for the organization. The CNA also reveals increased unemployment has affected extended health benefits and as such, physiotherapy patients are waiting for the hospital physio clinic, rather than utilizing private physio clinics. This has increased wait times for physio and means that people will likely be relying on mobility and daily living aids for longer periods of time.
The Lending Cupboard’s Community Needs Assessment expects the organization’s ten-fold growth seen in it’s first ten years of existence, to double over the next ten years. This means it’s priorities going forward include obtaining a larger facility, improved systemization and efficiencies, extended hours of operation, increased staff hours, volunteer attraction and training, partnerships with the community, advocacy to government, build independent regional capacity and substantially increase community support.
From the Fraser Institute
By Jake Fuss and Grady Munro
There would have been 1.5 million more Canadians who donated to charity in 2023—and $755.5 million more in donations—had Canadians given to the same extent they did 10 years prior
According to recent polling, approximately one in five Canadians have skipped paying a bill over the past year so they can buy groceries. As families are increasingly hard-pressed to make ends meet, this undoubtedly means more and more people must seek out food banks, shelters and other charitable organizations to meet their basic necessities.
And each year, Canadians across the country donate their time and money to charities to help those in need—particularly around the holiday season. Yet at a time when the relatively high cost of living means these organizations need more resources, new data published by the Fraser Institute shows that the level of charitable giving in Canada is actually falling.
Specifically, over the last 10 years (2013 to 2023, the latest year of available data) the share of tax-filers who reported donating to charity fell from 21.9 per cent to 16.8 per cent. And while fewer Canadians are donating to charity, they’re also donating a smaller share of their income—during the same 10-year period, the share of aggregate income donated to charity fell from 0.55 per cent to 0.52 per cent.
To put this decline into perspective, consider this: there would have been 1.5 million more Canadians who donated to charity in 2023—and $755.5 million more in donations—had Canadians given to the same extent they did 10 years prior. Simply put, this long-standing decline in charitable giving in Canada ultimately limits the resources available for charities to help those in need.
On the bright side, despite the worrying long-term trends, the share of aggregate income donated to charity recently increased from 0.50 per cent in 2022 to 0.52 per cent in 2023. While this may seem like a marginal improvement, 0.02 per cent of aggregate income for all Canadians in 2023 was $255.7 million.
The provinces also reflect the national trends. From 2013 to 2023, every province saw a decline in the share of tax-filers donating to charity. These declines ranged from 15.4 per cent in Quebec to 31.4 per cent in Prince Edward Island.
Similarly, almost every province recorded a drop in the share of aggregate income donated to charity, with the largest being the 24.7 per cent decline seen in P.E.I. The only province to buck this trend was Alberta, which saw a 3.9 per cent increase in the share of aggregate income donated over the decade.
Just as Canada as a whole saw a recent improvement in the share of aggregate income donated, so too did many of the provinces. Indeed, seven provinces (except Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador) saw an increase in the share of aggregate income donated to charity from 2022 to 2023, with the largest increases occurring in Saskatchewan (7.9 per cent) and Alberta (6.7 per cent).
Canadians also volunteer their time to help those in need, yet the latest data show that volunteerism is also on the wane. According to Statistics Canada, the share of Canadians who volunteered (both formally and informally) fell by 8 per cent from 2018 to 2023. And the total numbers of hours volunteered (again, both formal and informal) fell by 18 per cent over that same period.
With many Canadians struggling to make ends meet, food banks, shelters and other charitable organizations play a critical role in providing basic necessities to those in need. Yet charitable giving—which provides resources for these charities—has long been on the decline. Hopefully, we’ll see this trend turn around swiftly.
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