Midstream Support Society Recording Secretary Dianne Barrett makes a presentation to the Morinville & District Chamber of Commerce at their Dec. 6 luncheon about the non-profit’s 30-year history of work in the community.
by Stephen Dafoe
At the Dec. 6 Morinville and District Chamber Luncheon, attendees heard from several local non-profits, including the Midstream Support Society.
The non-profit board’s Recording Secretary Diane Barret told attendees that Midstream was started 30 years ago by two Town of Morinville employees.
“There was no food bank, and there was no established communication or assistance programs to help residents in need,” Barrett said of the charitable group’s beginnings. “So these two Town of Morinville employees set up a spot for lunches, and they bought the food. They provided a table, and folks in need could come and stop by for lunch.”
From that simple beginning, the two employees began seeking donations for food and other household necessities. They collected donations and hand-delivered them to people in need on the weekends.
“They were very selfless individuals,” Barrett said.
In 1995, the dedicated group of volunteers established Midstream as a registered non-profit society in the province.
“The name Midstream came about to represent individuals who were caught midstream,” Barrett explained. “Those who were not readily accepted into the social programs because they made just too much money, but they were also considered working poor. They didn’t have too much of an option to recieve social assistance. So, that is where Midstream comes from.”
Thirty years later, the non-profit’s primary objective is to assist low-income Morinville residents in need. Midstream does this in a variety of ways through its funding initiatives.
“We are non-profit. We are secular. We are not funded by any business, association, charities, or foundation,” Barrett said. “we are 100 per cent volunteer-led.”
In 2023, the Midstream Support Society donated $6,000 in food from Sobeys Morinville to the Morinville Food Bank.
The non-profit also works with Morinville’s Social Support Navigator and Family and Community Support Services Department to donate as requested, typically in the neighbourhood of $8,000 per year.
A similar amount is given annually to Morinville residents seeking help with rent and other necessities, including eyeglasses.
“We work with other organizations to make sure that individuals who can not normally afford necessities can obtain them,” Barrett told Chamber luncheon attendees.
Midstream continues to fund and supplement the Morinville School Nutrition programs, providing $400 per school monthly to help feed children. This year, Midstream also provided some funding to help parents who could not afford to send their children to local summer camps.
Morinville’s Eat Well program allows anyone to buy monthly $30 packages of meat, fruits and vegetables in a bulk-buy value package. Midstream purchases 10 Eat Well program baskets per month to assist those who otherwise could not afford them.
Much of the funding for the various programs comes through monies raised at the Midstream Support Society’s thrift store at 9922 101 Street in downtown Morinville.
“This year, we are donating an additional $10,000 to assist the Knights of Columbus with their hamper program,” Barrett said. “This past year, through our tiny little thrift store, we were able to provide over $42,000 to residents in need.”
In addition to its 101 Street thrift store, Midstream has held an annual Santa Store Auction to raise additional program funding since 1998.
“All the proceeds from the auction are used to provide gifts for children who would not normally receive them and financial support to Morinville families for bills and everyday necessities,” Barrett said.
This year’s auction at the Free Spirit Ranch raised more than $26,000. It is money that will go a long way to assist residents and fulfil Midstream’s mission to do just that.
“Midstream is very honoured to play this role to Morinville residents in need,” Barrett said. “We couldn’t do this without the generous donations from residents. We want to continue to make a difference in the local community.”
We are so lucky to have this amazing group so many great things are being done by this group.