Trustees Report For 2025
First and foremost, we want to extend our gratitude to the community of Delta and the surrounding area for their very generous support to our events and fundraisers. To summarize:
Donations to the Foodbank were down 37% when compared to 2024. Roughly a third of the decline is attributable to a one-time donation from the Anglican Diocese of Ontario. Each year the Diocese donates all the contributions from their Christmas open house to a charitable organization within the Diocese. Last year that charitable organization was the Delta Foodbank. That single donation represents approximately 40% of the year over year decline. The Foodbank still finished the year in a healthy financial position, and we are truly thankful for the generosity of the community. Unfortunately, times are such that one can’t turn on the radio or watch the evening news without hearing about the increasing number of families who have been forced, often through no real fault of their own, to reach out to their local foodbank.
On a more cheerful note, our yard sales continue to be well supported. They have become a “fixture” in the community, and we have lots of regulars supporting us with donations and shopping. These events have taken on almost a “fair like’ atmosphere with lots of people stopping to chat with neighbours and friends. While they are a lot of work, they are both socially and financially rewarding. The most satisfying aspect is that we can donate furniture and appliances to families who need items and can’t afford them. Again, thank you to our members and volunteers. Your commitment to making these sales a success shows in the attendance and the monies raised.
Attendance at our 4th annual Pride Picnic was up again which is very encouraging. Thanks to a grant from the Ontario Arts Council, we held our second evening event; the Delta Pride Comedy Cabaret. It was held at the Old Town Hall and attendance was up from the previous year and we will be applying for a grant to hold a Cabaret again this year.
Once again, we served as a rest and refreshment stop for the Ottawa Bike Club’s Rideau Lakes Tour. It seems that we are a “must visit” rest stop. It has become a major fund raiser for SPACC, and our small core of cooks/bakers/servers deserve a huge thank you for all their efforts. Last year the approximately 600 cyclists who stopped at St. Paul’s ate us out of house and home and were very generous both monetarily and with appreciation for the all the effort. As an aside, we get a lot of interest in the building itself and our efforts to serve the community. Hard work. Good fun. Grateful cyclists. And most of all, visibility you just can’t buy.
Thanks to some of our dedicated and creative members, we won the first annual scarecrow contest held as part of the Delta Harvest Festival weekend.
We provided the funding necessary to for five children to enjoy a week at the Rideau Lakes summer Day Camp.
We provided the judging and funding for the Delta Christmas lights home decorating event and we plan to do it again in 2026
The restoration/renovation of the church is complete and now the focus turns to the hall. The estimate, excluding HST which is recoverable is $441,400K. The plan is to do the interior first to allow for moving the food bank to the hall and to make full advantage of the former church for concerts and other events. Restoring the exterior will be the final phase.
Finally, we would again like to express our sincere gratitude for all the support we have received from Leeds Anglican Ministries, the Anglican Diocese of Ontario, the Township of Rideau Lakes and the community at large. Most of all, we want to thank the members of SPACC for the more than 1300 volunteer hours of effort put toward the events and the committee work. We couldn’t have done it without you.