Grant Will Keep Pantry Stocked
No sooner had the Eston Little Free Pantry in Eston, Sask., shared with the community it would be closing its doors that not one, but two, doors opened.
“We posted a notice on our Facebook page that we had to suspend operations at the town library. That same afternoon, Brealynn Trarback came into my shop and asked if we would like to move into the unused space she owned next door,” says Kelly Knight, who has been instrumental in keeping the Pantry’s shelves stocked for the past two years.
“She offered it for no charge because she didn’t think the Pantry was something the town could do without and the day after that we started to clean, organize and stock the new location,” Knight says.
Within two weeks the Pantry was serving the community again and it wasn’t long before another piece of good news landed on their doorstep.
“Out of nowhere I got a message from our economic development officer, Jaime Smith, that a company called ADAMA was giving us a grant she had applied for,” says Knight. “I had never heard of them, but my husband works in ag and he knew exactly who I was talking about.”
Stomping Grounds
What she was talking about was ADAMA Canada’s Stomping Grounds community investment initiative and the Eston Little Free Pantry was one of 23 community projects from across Canada to receive funding this year. Since 2018, the company has contributed over half a million dollars to building stronger communities, boosting well-being, and sparking hometown pride.
Smith says she regularly applies for grants to support programs and projects in the town as part of her job, but doesn’t usually mention anything unless an application is approved.
“Kelly was surprised and excited when I told her I had applied and we had been approved,” says Smith. “Then she asked how much we were getting, and when I told her it was $5,000 – that was far beyond what any of us were expecting.”
“When Jaime told me how much, it was just a bit of relief and then I did some quick calculations in my head and I was like – this is going to last us over a year. This is awesome,” says Knight.
The Pantry distributes boxes of food to up to a dozen households weekly, and Knight says the grant money will be used to purchase fresh food and make up for any shortfalls in that week’s food donations.
Haley Tetreault, Northwest and Southwest Central Saskatchewan Area Business Manager with ADAMA Canada, had the honour of personally delivering the cheque to the Pantry. Matt Owens of Emerge Ag Solutions in Eston joined her for the presentation.
“This is one of those amazing small-town stories where the community comes together to solve a problem and take care of their neighbours,” says Tetreault. “Then, to hear that our Stomping Grounds grant was a total surprise to the volunteers after a bit of a scramble to keep the Pantry going and it will help keep the shelves stocked for at least a year – that’s incredible.”
“It is pretty remarkable what everyone at the Little Free Pantry does with the limited resources they have, not least of which is their own time,” Owens says. “Really makes a person proud to call this town home.”