Ladies Auxiliary donates to Fire Association, local Food Bank
By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Photo Courtesy of Karen Wournell
The Strathmore Ladies Auxiliary of the Royal Canadian Legion #10 recently made notable donations to the Wheatland County Food Bank, as well as the Strathmore Firefighters Association.
According to Karen Wournell, who spoke on behalf of the Ladies Auxiliary, the donation to the foodbank was in the order of $1,000, and $2,000 was given to the Firefighters Association.
“We donate to the firefighters association and they contribute to community projects, and of course, we always donate to the Wheatland County Food Bank every year,” said Wournell. “They are both organizations that are integral parts of the community. We do have other organizations that we donate to, but those are two major ones that we support annually.”
The Ladies Auxiliary budgets for the donation every year, aiming to raise money for the effort through fundraisers such as their annual harvest dinner, bake sales, and high teas.
According to Wournell, the Ladies Auxiliary have been making the regular donations to the Food Bank and the Firefighters Association for roughly the last 20 years.
She added the first rescue boats purchased in Strathmore for water rescues by the Firefighters Association were purchased in part due to the donations from the Ladies Auxiliary.
Ultimately, once the donation is made, the recipient organizations are free to do with the money as they see fit to help the local community.
Wournell said, however, she has concerns for the long-term viability of being able to continue their annual donations, as members of the Ladies Auxiliary age and pass away, without a steady influx of new members.
“I hope to continue it, but it is going to be tough, just because it is hard to get new members. The Ladies Auxiliary is not like most organizations such as the Lions Club for example,” she said. “There really are not that many people joining the Ladies Auxiliary anymore … it came formally into service in 1926 and it became a fundraising arm for the Legion.”
Coming up, she added, the Ladies Auxiliary will be hosing a Christmas tea and bake sale, among other fundraising efforts, but she did not provide exact dates for when such events would take place.