Funding supports Choices for Youth's work to bring fresh produce to northern communities

GUELPH, ON, May 29, 2018 /CNW/ - As part of its commitment to help build more resilient, healthy and sustainable communities across Canada, The Co-operators has partnered with Choices for Youth (CFY), donating $90,000 over three years to provide employment programs for marginalized youth in St. John's. 

Funding from The Co-operators directly supports initiatives such as Project Sucseed, for which CFY participants manufacture hydroponic systems made of recyclable material for growing produce in northern communities. This helps relieve food security issues, as growing produce is particularly challenging in northern communities, and eliminates the need to transport food over long distances, reducing the environmental impact. With the help of organizations like The Co-operators, the program has been able to train and employ additional youth who manufacture each Sucseed unit.

"Providing meaningful supports for at-risk youth gives them the opportunity and the tools to improve their individual situations, while helping build a stronger, more vibrant community," said Rob Wesseling, president and CEO, The Co-operators. "We're proud to support Choices for Youth and the life-changing work they do with young people across Newfoundland and Labrador."

For more than 25 years, CFY has worked to empower at-risk youth through innovative programs and social enterprises that help young people secure stable housing, education and employment while fostering independence and promoting mental and physical health. 

CFY Executive Director, Sheldon Pollett, explains, "Our goal at CFY is to help young people live healthier, more stable lives, and one way to foster that is by providing training and employment opportunities for youth. Investing in social enterprise helps to meet multiple goals – for Project Sucseed, we are employing at-risk youth; reducing food insecurity; and reinvesting revenue into programming. We are proud to partner with The Co-operators to continue to grow our social enterprise portfolio at CFY and to find additional innovative ways to help young people live better lives."

In 2017, The Co-operators Foundation Community Economic Development (CED) Funds granted a total of $521,000 to 24 organizations providing economic opportunities to marginalized youth and persons with mental health challenges. To learn more, check out our 2017 CED Annual Report.

The Co-operators also released a video today featuring the great work being done by Choices for Youth. Each year, the organization selects one outstanding recipient of CED funds to profile in its annual video, and chose CFY because of the impact it makes in the St. John's community.

About The Co-operators:
The Co-operators Group Limited is a Canadian co-operative with more than $41 billion in assets under administration. Through its group of companies it offers home, auto, life, group, travel, commercial and farm insurance, as well as investment products. The Co-operators is well known for its community involvement and its commitment to sustainability. The Co-operators is listed among the Best Employers in Canada by Aon Hewitt and Corporate Knights' Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada. For more information, visit www.cooperators.ca.

About Choices for Youth
Choices for Youth is a non-profit, charitable, community-based agency that provides housing and lifestyle development supports to youth in Newfoundland and Labrador. The organization was founded in 1990 as a result of an identified need among youth, the community and government to have an empowerment-based program available to young people for whom 'home' was not an option. Through its seven core programs, Choices for Youth is addressing the needs and issues of at-risk youth as they move from street life to more promising futures.

SOURCE The Co-operators