ST. PAUL'S FAMILY RESOURCES INSTITUTE
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Mission Statement
To Undertake a Christian outreach of love and caring for people whose need are economical social and education until individuals are self-sustaining.
About This Cause
St. Paul’s Family Resources Institute (FRI) is a non-profit organization located in Spryfield. The goal of St. Paul’s Family Resources Institute is to undertake a Christian outreach of love and caring for people whose need are economical social and education until individuals are self-sustaining. We do this with our different programs which include: a learning kitchen, a community garden, a food bank and cafe, fitness classes, and literacy programs. Many people think of FRI as a Food Bank and that certainly is part of who we are. Food Banks are nothing new and in Halifax we have a long history of helping the unfortunate among us. For example, after the War of 1812, there were Soup Kitchens on the Grand Parade in downtown Halifax. Samuel Cunard (yes, he who founded the Cunard Steamship Company, at one time the largest steamship company in the world) worked at that Soup Kitchen with his wife Susan. Food Banks now offer a lot more than just food and at FRI that certainly is true. Thanks to our funders, the United Church Mission and Service Fund, United Way, Feed Nova Scotia and individual donors, we are able to offer a variety of services to our clients. Some of our programs include a Food Bank Cafe where clients can come inside and have coffee and a snack while waiting to pick up their order. While at the cafe, we provide clients with different services to address concerns they may have. Dalhousie Nursing students are often on hand to offer advice, such as provide tips on health and nutrition. Our minister has also been in attendance at the cafe to meet and talk with the clients. We also offer a free income tax service to those with limited income and literacy programs aimed at 3-4 year olds (Book Buddies and Tote Tales), which have also been very successful. FRI has been running a Nordic Walking Classes and weekly hikes along trails within the community. Our very successful community Garden just started its 22nd year with 31 gardens plots and over 40 gardeners. Our newest program Soup's on has attracted a steady following. The volunteers for this program are trained in food handling and prepare a free soup/sandwich lunch once a week. Feed Nova Scotia recognized the impact that St. Paul’s FRI has been making in the community with our varied programming and nominated us for a national award. St. Paul’s FRI was honoured to have received the award for “Excellence in Food Banking for a small size” at Food Banks Canada's National Conference in 2013! Over this past year, we have seen more and more people accessing our services than ever before. It is not always an easy thing for people to ask for help, so when they do, we want to be ready. In this Holiday season, we assisted nearly 200 families within our community with Christmas food hampers. We also will be offering a Toy Store at the same time where parents can choose age appropriate toys for their children.