Maggie’s Resource Centre benefits from United Way HPE

January 17, 2023

By Mike Riley

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

More than 30 years ago, Maggie’s Resource Centre started offering support and services to residents of North Hastings to make sure that this is a community where all women can thrive, in safety and peace. MRC strives to empower women; to help them discover and build skills, confidence and a solid base to create safe fulfilling futures. Services include access to shelter, transportation to safe placement, crisis counseling, intervention, access to legal services, court support and advocacy with income and housing.

With grant support from United Way HPE in 2022, MRC was able to assess their strengths and challenges as an organization, identify opportunities for growth, change in response to the impacts of COVID-19 and restructure their Strategic Plan. As a result, they were able to educate and engage members of their board of directors, agency partners and the broader community of North Hastings and how the community sees the future direction of the agency.

United Way HPE supports 52 agencies and 74 programs in Hastings and Prince Edward Counties and collaborates with local organizations, the business

community, the health sector and individuals to increase the capacity of our community to respond to human needs. To support the United Way campaign, please visit www.unitedwayhpe.ca/donate

Leaders in the social sector in areas like strategic planning and governance training, United Way HPE helps supporting organizations develop long-term sustainability and best practices.

Brandi Hodge, executive director of United Way HPE, says that there is a direct correlation between non-profit organizations that are successful in achieving their goals and the strength

and resilience of their organizational capacity.

“However, resources are very tight, and non-profit leaders are hesitant to divert money for capacity initiatives from direct services when funds are needed to support program operations,” she says.

Finding resources to bolster their organizational capacity is often a struggle for organizations, and at the same time they face more stringent requirements from private and public funders to demonstrate greater financial accountability, governance, transparency and information on the results their programs are getting.

In addition to the support that United Way HPE provides to MRC, they also fund the work that the Sexual Assault Centre for Quinte and District does. Based in Bancroft, the SACQD’s satellite office helps people heal from sexual assault/violence through counselling and support groups, safe place drop-in and Paths of Courage Residential Healing Program. Each week, a counsellor provides one to one counselling to four North Hastings residents healing from sexual assault/violence. This service is provided in person, over the phone or online via videoconference. If you or someone you care about might benefit from talking to someone who can help,

they can call the SACQD at 613-967-6300, or email them at sacqd@sacqd.com.

Tanya MacKinnon, the executive director of MRC, who has been in her role since 2013, said they wanted to engage in a significant organizational review process for some time.

“We simply didn’t have the budget to support this work and turned to United Way HPE for funding,” she says.

Consequently, the funding that MRC procured from United Way HPE helped MRC do for itself what it does for the women it serves; forge a firm

foundation, and gain strength and support for years to come.

MacKinnon told The Bancroft Times on Jan. 9 that the grant they received from United Way HPE was invaluable.

“The funding offset the cost of developing a new strategic plan as our organization grows and expands to offer transitional housing services for women in our community.”