The Canadian Foodgrains Bank has signed a new five-year agreement with the Canadian International Development Agency worth $20 million per year. This is up from the three-year, $16-million arrangement the agencies previously shared. Signed in July, the agreement also offers greater flexibility in programming. The good news was officially announced on July 19 at a celebration in Manitoba.
“I didn't get everything we wanted, but we can certainly work with this agreement,” said executive director Jim Cornelius in a press release. “Thank you to the Foodgrains Bank supporters who lobbied their MPs on our behalf.”
Cornelius told the Record that the board of directors is generally satisfied with the terms of the agreement which, in addition to the points noted above, include the following:
- Continued flexibility to use CIDA cash resources to support nutrition programming.
- New flexibility to fund cash-based food security activities with CIDA's matching contribution (which increases the ability to support food security activities from $2 million a year to $5.5 million a year).
- An increase in funding for CFGB's public engagement and public policy programs.
- A new results and performance measurement framework.
“Our efforts to end hunger just got a little stronger,” said Heather Plett, CFGB's communications director.
CFGB's annual fall information meetings will be held November 26-30, and are open to anyone who is interested in learning more about the Foodgrains Bank. More information will be posted on their website as it becomes available. Visit www.foodgrainsbank.ca. ¦ –AM
