BY BILL BRADLEY
SudburyÂ?s community economic development group, GEODE (Grassroots Economic Opportunity Development and Evaluation) is ready to receive some major project funding for it Rideshare project.
Rideshare, a free community-based transportation support program has received $419,020 from provincial governmentÂ?s Ontario Early Years Challenge Fund.
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Â?Rideshare provides rides for children to education programs, day cares and medical appointments,Â? said co-ordinator Brenda Swalm.
Children need to be referred by social service agencies. Volunteers drivers are a key component of the project.
Rideshare works with partners including the City of Greater Sudbury, Human Resources Development Canada, the Trillium Foundation and the Social Planning Council.
GEODEÂ?s other two projects, the Stepping Stones Loan Project, a micro business incubator, and the new Foodshed Project, also reflect the value of partnering with key stakeholders in the city.
Another GEODE project, less familiar to Sudburians, is the Foodshed Project initiated by Doreen Ojala, formerly with EcoAction Sudbury. The project is designed to encourage local food production and job creation.
Foodshed is also pursuing partnerships. One link is with the promoters of local food production such as the Northern Ontario Agri-Food Education and Marketing Association.
Â?In Sudbury, developing the potential of the local food economy is an important aspect of food security, creating employment and building connections in the community,Â? says Janet Gasparini, executive director of the Social Planning Council of Sudbury, in a support letter for funding from FedNor.
For more information about GEODE, phone 670-8920 or visit www.geodesudbury.org.
