2025 Trustee's Report

2025 Trustee's Report for the Calendar Year 2024

First and foremost, we want to thank 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 up again this year, 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. Sadly, the requirement for community foodbanks appears to have crossed the line from being nice to have to being a necessity. How could we have allowed this to happen?

·         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 3rd annual Pride Picnic was up again which is very encouraging. Thanks to a grant from the Ontario Arts Council, we held our first evening event; the Delta Pride Comedy Cabaret. It was held at the Old Town Hall and was very well attended. We even made a little money and plan to hold a similar event this year.

·         Once again, we served as a rest and refreshment stop for the Ottawa Bike Club’s Rideau Lakes Tour. The feedback from the organizers and the participants was all positive. 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 700 cyclists who stopped at St. Paul’s consumed close to 800 calzones, several dozen cookies, banana breads, tarts, and gallons of lemonade and water.  Hard work. Good fun. Grateful cyclists.  

·         We provided the judging and funding for the Delta Christmas lights home decorating event and we plan to do it again in 2025.

The restoration/renovation of the church and attached hall continued in 2024. Most notable were a new roof for the hall at the rear of the church, and the completion of an engineers report on the condition of the tower. While the engineer did not find any significant issues, he did note that repairs will soon be needed to the masonry around the arched windows at the top of the tower as well as the wooden ladders in the tower.

Our biggest challenge is finding grant opportunities to fund the remainder of the renovations. To that end, our objective this year is to finally achieve incorporation as a charitable organization working in conjunction with the Anglican Church.

Finally, we would like to express our sincere gratitude for all the support we have received from Leeds Anglican Ministries, the Anglican Diocese of Ontario, and the Township of Rideau Lakes. Most of all, we want to thank the members of SPACC for the more than 1000 volunteer hours of effort put toward the events and the committee work. We couldn’t have done it without you.

Doug Cowley                                                                                                       Rachel Marks                                                                               

Trustee                                                                                                                    Trustee