A local advocacy group is trying to raise money to help seniors living below the poverty line.
The Barrie and Surrounding Area chapter of CARP, a non-profit organization that advocates for older Canadians promoting equitable access to health care, financial security, and freedom from ageism, is preparing to launch its Seniors Community Fund later this week, an online fundraising initiative to help area seniors, noted local chairperson Gwen Kavanagh.
“It all started when a friend of mine was telling me about some funding they’d seen in the U.S. … We got into a discussion and then a few weeks later I was doing some homework for another CARP project," she told MidlandToday. "I got looking at statistics and it really threw me off when I learned that 19 to 20 per cent of seniors in Canada live below the poverty line of $19,501 or $1,625 a month... and we know what the rents are in Barrie. A one-bedroom is $1,700 plus.”
The more research Kavanagh did, the more shocked she became, noting most seniors in that category typically live alone.
“I don’t know how they live. I remember hearing horror stories learning about a lady living on cat food because she couldn’t afford food. It just all piled up, so I asked the board if CARP would consider taking on a project to assist seniors living below the poverty line," she said.
The board immediately agreed and the group quickly formed a committee and began connecting with a variety of different organizations and initiatives around the community to see how best to move forward.
To date, the committee has had four meetings and has set an online fundraising goal of $25,000 to start. Once they reach that goal, a subcommittee, which is responsible for selecting the recipients, will give out between $100 and $500 per recipient.
Kavanagh noted the fund will also accept offline donations in conjunction with the online donation platform.
“After the year and a half we’ve had, I think people want to give. I think they’re happy to help other people,” she said. “We hope that by September we will have been able to start giving money out — whether it’s for food, pharmaceuticals, to buy winter clothes or whatever it may be.”
Kavanagh says she is hoping if the Barrie chapter’s initiative is a success that other chapters of CARP will pick it up across the country.
“We are excited about it. I am so hopeful this will work the way we want it to and that we can assist (seniors). I am 78 and I see all the limitations for seniors. A lot of them are working past 65 because they have to,” she said. “The government is broken and I don’t know how much more they can do."
