Community Partners for Success Resource Centre based in Trenton is calling for more eyes and ears on the organization after learning of a recent funding cut.
Community Partners for Success promotes food insecurity, child care, skills for job readiness, employment support, and family support. They are a registered non-profit organization who rely heavily on funding from grants and donations. The major part of their funding comes from the provincial government by way of Hastings County.
They have recently found out that the funding from Hastings County will be going to facilities that offer beds. Community Partners for Success does not.
Jan Maguire-Card, a volunteer at Community Partners for Success, says “Should we not secure funding, we may have to close our doors.”
“Presently, we are the only facility in Quinte West open five days a week along with being the only one with the amenities for our clients. We serve food, including hot breakfasts and dinners to anyone in our community who needs food. We have free clothes, hygiene products, shoes, bedding, tents, and more,”
“Last year, a local service club gave $80,000 to a local soup kitchen that is open 4.5 hours per week, as opposed to our 27+ hours and all of our services besides food. We got nothing.”
InQuinte.ca had the opportunity this afternoon to sit down with Christine Stevenson, Executive Director of Community Partners for Success.
“We are a day drop-in centre, and we never were this until COVID happened. Prior to COVID, we were still working with the vulnerable population, but the majority of them were precariously housed and we worked on a lot of employment skills. Once COVID hit, it just bloomed into what this is today where we’re dealing with food insecurities, the biggest part of what we deal with,” Stevenson said.
“Three days a week we do breakfast and two days a week we do dinner. People can come in, we do not ask for any type of income card. We want to keep it as low-barrier as possible for them. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, our dinner days, we have really seen an increase. For a while, we were hitting about 70-80 meals, we are now over 100 most nights. And that’s just in the Trenton area. With breakfast, it started out with up to ten, we’re now hitting 25-30 just for breakfast. What we see as a homelessness crisis right now, we see our numbers are probably about 30 unhoused people in Trenton right now. When we opened our doors, we might have had five or six.”
Stevenson said that people who use their services can spend time at the facility all day, with things like crafts, movies, games, books, etc available, as well as couches available for sleeping.
Bay of Quinte MPP Tyler Allsopp visited the facility last week. Stevenson said the biggest issue she raised to MPP Allsopp is that while they can provide certain things, they can’t follow through with anything else due to the lack of mental health and addictions supports in the area and with long waitlists.
“We can do all of this here, but how do we help them afterwards?” Stevenson asked.
“Agencies are working as hard as they can too, it’s not that nobody is doing anything, it’s just where we’re all at right now. There are some works in it, but if you look at long-term, your rehabs, detoxes, we just can’t unfortunately. There’s not enough housing around here either, and affordable housing. A lot of these people can’t afford $1,500 a month for rent, or $900 for a room. That’s a bigger barrier for a lot of our people as well.”
Stevenson said Community Partners for Success was told after they received their 2025 funding from Hastings County, that would be their last year. A few weeks ago, they found pocketed money for the organization, which they got accepted for 2026. After that, there was no more.
“Hastings County has been funding us for about 28 years. They have been a major part in keeping our doors open. That was quite a shock to us because they have been a big part in our sustainable funding,” she said.
“We do receive lots of donations, but we also have our operating costs. We need to pay staff, pay for the building, utilities, that has to get paid too. We do have child care that we have as well, which does help us for a little bit of sustainability. It’s not a lot. Those programs have to be sustainable first before the profit comes off.”
Stevenson said the biggest way to support the organization is continuing the community support through donations and volunteers, as well as bringing awareness to what users of the program go through.
Community Partners for Success’ programs include:
Our Place Soup Kitchen: Free hot evening meals provided Tuesday and Thursday 3pm to 5pm.
Our Place Breakfast Program: Free breakfast provided Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 9am to 10:30am.
Emergency Food/Hygiene Hampers: Food hampers are delivered to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity.
Frozen Pre-Made Meals: These meals are prepared and given in the food hampers, as well as individuals using the drop in centre.
Harm Reduction: A practical set of strategies and ideas aimed at reducing negative consequences associated with drug use, educational information around safe drug use, needle exchange program and travel sized sharps containers available, and access to counseling for mental health and well-being.
Partners For Change: Family and employment support.
Free Clothing: Open to all, various men’s, women’s, and children’s available.
Belleville Child Care: Licensed care for children aged 0-12.
Stockdale Before and After Care Program: Licensed child care aged 4-12.
Batawa Before and After Care Program: Licensed child care aged 4-12.
If you would like to donate to the Resource Programs, this is a list of ongoing items that are needed:
Pasta noodles, pasta sauce, diced tomatoes
Soup, brith
Canned vegetables, canned pasta, beans
Canned meats (turkey, chicken, tuna, salmon)
Crackers, cookies, Rice Krispies
Cereal, oatmeal, granola
Milk, eggs, bottled water
Fresh vegetables, fresh fruit
Muffins, desserts, bagels
Cheese, creamer, cream cheese
Butter, margarine, peanut butter, jam
Yogurt, apple sauce, fruit cups, pudding
Sugar, sweetener, coffee whitener, coffee, instant coffee, hot chocolate
Shampoo, conditoner, soap, deodorant, lotion, feminine hygiene, tooth brush, toothpaste, chapstick, bug spray, sunscreen
Toilet paper, paper towel, dish soap
Cleaning supplies
Community Partners for Success is located at 50 Elgin St, Trenton.
For more information, visit this link.
(HAILEY MACDONALD)
