Winners annouced for Canada’s Farmers Grow Communities Program

Nov. 13, 2013, Winnipeg, MB – Sixty farmers nominated rural-based charitable or not-for-profit groups in their communities for the 2013 Canada’s Farmers Grow Communities program for a chance to win a $2,500 grant provided by the Monsanto Fund.

Of the 378 entries, Monsanto Canada has announced the winners.”Monsanto is committed to helping farmers grow their communities and improving the lives of rural residents,” said Trish Jordan, public and industry affairs director at Monsanto Canada. “This program allows us to shine the spotlight on farmers and recognize them for the important contributions they make to their communities, not only as farmers but as vital contributors to their community’s overall well-being.”

Now in its second full year (a pilot project ran in 2011 in Eastern Canada), Canada’s Farmers Grow Communities is a program aimed at strengthening rural communities and equipping local charitable and not-for-profit groups with funds to carry out much-needed community work aimed at improving the lives of the rural residents they support and serve.

This year’s program generated a number of different ideas from farmers on how local groups in their community could benefit from the grants. Rural-based charitable groups were also much more active in making their needs known using the “Idea Map,” an online tool, available at www.CanadasFarmers.ca, which allowed them to suggest a cause and find local farmers to support that cause by generating an entry.

Farmers living and working in Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Northeastern B.C. had between Jan. 7th and Sept 30th, 2013 to submit their entries by visiting the Canada’s Farmers website and completing an online application form. The winning entries were drawn by board members of the independent administrator, Agriculture in the Classroom – Manitoba, on October 17, 2013 in Winnipeg.

“Monsanto seeks out opportunities to support rural communities and farmers across the country, both in our day-to-day business activities and through our philanthropic outreach,” said Jordan. “While most Canadians are aware of the multitude of large, high-profile charitable organizations doing good work to help those who are less fortunate, the same is not always true in smaller, rural communities. The Canada’s Farmers Grow Communities program is helping to change that and has quickly become one of our flagship programs.”

This year’s recipients service a wide variety of community needs from schools, libraries and local theatres to community halls, sport facilities, health/service clubs and daycares.

John Crow, a farmer from Wallaceburg, Ontario nominated his local school and was thrilled to learn that his name was drawn. “This is a great surprise,” said John. “Our little school can definitely use the money.”

The Monsanto Fund plans to continue the Canada’s Farmers Grow Communities program in 2014. Farmers and rural residents can watch for details at winter trade shows and also visit www.CanadasFarmers.ca in January 2014 for further program details.