Food4Kids Guelph

I am proud to say that I have just committed to a monthly donation to Food4Kids Guelph.  

Food4Kids Guelph offers weekend food to children who, for a multitude of reasons, may be food insecure.



The school submits a confidential student registration form. Food4Kids Guelph volunteers fill plain bags with 14 - 16 healthy items and deliver to schools each Friday morning. At the school, the food package is placed into the student’s own backpack helping to shield the child from any stigma. Every child 1 - 14 in the home receives a food package.

When schools are closed we send grocery cards to the families.


Each food pack costs approximately $15.00 for the weekend.  We do not receive any government funding. Programs are 100% funded by community donors and one-time grants.

The program is run almost entirely by volunteers keeping overhead expenses to an absolute minimum. 

100 Women + 100 Men

Community of Hearts Selected by 100 Women + 100 Men at Joint Meeting. Read the latest press release below. 

At the special event joint meeting held between 100 Women Who Care Guelph and 100+ Men Who Give a Damn, Community of Hearts Lifelong Learning Centre was chosen to be the recipient of their combined donation, estimated to be near $25,000.

Community of Hearts, located downtown in the Quebec Street Mall, serves Guelph citizens aged 16 and older who are living with developmental disabilities. Through their Learning Day Programs, their goal is to support youth, adults, and seniors with developmental exceptionalities to achieve the level of independence they desire.

These programs cover a wide range of subjects, including nutritious and safe meal preparation, household chores, arts and creative expression, and health and fitness. These unique and innovative programs help to reduce social isolation, while giving the participants the necessary skills to become empowered, contributing members of society.

Unfortunately, due to the lack of an accessible washroom, these opportunites are not available to all Guelph residents who would benefit from these programs.

With the aid of a local contractor who has agreed to build the washroom at cost – yet another local hero in our caring and generous city – the donation from the members of 100WWCG and 100MWGAD will go a long way to seeing that project become a reality.

Together, these two grassroots fundraising organizations have raised over $675,000, with 55 Guelph charities having benefited over the past nine years. As stated by Mike Brookbank, 100+MWGAD Founding Member, “The breadth and scope of our local charities here in Guelph and Wellington County reach into many corners of our wonderful community, helping and providing a bedrock of support to our friends, colleagues and neighbours. We are grateful for their dedication and happy to be part of the cycle of care. We hope our collective $100 cheques help move the needle for those that need it.”

Visit www.100womenwhocareguelph.com and www.100menguelph.com for more information or to become a member and help support those in need in our community.

100 Women Who Care Guelph and Family & Children's Services of Guelph and Wellington County Come Together

During a typical 1-hour quarterly meeting of '100 Women Who Care Guelph', 3 names are drawn from a hat which leads to 3 five minute presentations on behalf of local charities.  A vote then transpires to decide which charity wins the groups quarterly donations.

At the October 2019 meeting, my name was one of three drawn and I was able to present on behalf of Family & Children's Services of Guelph and Wellington County Children First Fund.  

This organization provides support to 16 to 18 year olds who are no longer eligible for foster care, and thus struggling to make it on their own. Children in that situation have no parental or family support, and find themselves adrift, living on their own with extremely limited financial resources.  The 'Children First Fund' provides tangible support to youth who are transitioning to adulthood.  The donation will be used to support kids in two different streams. If the child is going on to college or university, they will be provided with a $400 set-up kit consisting of a backpack and other necessary supplies. In the second stream, where kids have found work, $1000 worth of kitchen supplies, bedding, towels, and furniture will help them transition to living on their own.

After each presentation, members spend some time asking presenters for more information about the programs supported and the funding models of each organization. Following these astute and thoughtful questions, members took a few moments to make their choice and cast a vote.

Family & Children's Services of Guelph and Wellington County (Children First Fund) was chosen as the recipient of our Meeting 21 donation.

The cheque was officially presented on January 9th and Sheila Markle of Family & Children's Services of Guelph and Wellington County joined us during our January meeting to speak more about the organization.   Read her full remarks here.

I am so pleased that I was able to help facilitate the joining of two of the organizations I am most passionate about.

Read more about the 100 Women Who Care Guelph and watch our impact grow meeting after meeting. Let me know if you are interested in coming out to our next no-obligation meeting.

100 Women Who Care Guelph tops $250,000 mark in local donations!

I am truly proud to be a part of this incredible group of women. 
Read the GuelphToday.com article below to learn more about what we do.

Charities and social agencies in Guelph are $250,000 better off thanks to 100 Women Who Care Guelph.  That’s the dollar amount handed out by the Guelph chapter of the organization since it started in 2014. 

“When we started it up we didn’t know how it would fly or whether people would hang on to the concept, but they certainly have,” says Tannis Sprott, one of the three women who founded the local chapter. “It’s the membership that makes this thing work.”

Started in Michigan in 2006, the 100 Women Who Care movement asks members to commit to four short evening get togethers a year, hear about a local worthy cause from a member, then chose which of those causes they would like their $100 donation to go to. All the money from that meeting goes to the successful cause.

Hospice Wellington and their Art Therapy program was the first recipient back in 2014. Since then 20 donations have been made, all locally, including Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre, Rainbow Day Camp and the North End Harvest Market.  A complete list can be found on the local group’s website.

“We launched in October 2014 with a real desire to make an impact on our local community,” says Sprott.  There were 98 members originally. Now they’re up to 148.  “We have a fair number of retired women, we have a lot of working professionals, we have a few younger ones, but we ask to show up four hours a year and make a $100 donation each time. It’s designed for busy women, basically.”  

The meetings are between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. on a week night once every three months at the Delta Hotel.  Members nominate those seeking the funds and that member will speak on the organization’s behalf if they are one of the three drawn for consideration that particular meeting.

“The money has to stay in Guelph. That’s one of the caveats to being eligible for the funds.”  If your organization is successful in getting the funds, you can’t apply again for three years.  “That allows the money to be spread around through the community more,” Sprott said.  Three months after receiving the funds, the recipient organization is asked to return to say how it impacted them.

Those interested in joining can sign up online or can attend a meeting to see how things work before deciding whether or not to join.

“What amazes us most is the longevity of our members,” Sprott said. “We have 30 that have been with us from the very beginning and 50-plus that have been with us for three years. People really latch on to the concept and stay.”

Article by guelphtoday.com

Members who recently received their 3 year membership pin!

Family Children's Services

In March of this 2019, we had a great time hosting our VIP Event for Family Children's Services at the Guelph Storm Game.  Thank you to all our guests who came out and enjoyed the game!  

Many many thanks to Heather, Tim and Kirsten Ferguson for organizing this event and asking me to participate!   A big shout out to Lynn Vanschaik from the Guelph Storm and Carolyn Tait-Guest (FCS) who helped pull this together.  And special mention to Jennifer and Skyler Fowler for helping to make it a reality.


Wishing the Guelph Storm much success on their quest for the Memorial Cup!