Access Credit Union believes well-fed kids are well-read kids.
The Winnipeg-based credit union recently announced its “Focused Funding” grant for 2025, which will provide $25,000 each to 10 elementary, junior high or high schools throughout the province to enhance their kitchens and enhance nutrition and wellness programming.
Adam Monteith, chief marketing officer at Access, says the credit union wants to put its money where students’ mouths are, while continuing to foster healthy communities and ensure that students have the resources they need to succeed.
All K-12 public schools in Manitoba are eligible. This year’s grant will prioritize projects that improve kitchen facilities to allow for adequate space and equipment for storage, preparation and serving needs.
The goal is to improve access to nutritious meals and snacks, which are crucial for students’ academic and personal development, Monteith says.
The funding dovetails with the Province of Manitoba’s recent school nutrition program initiative, which will give students enrolled in public schools access to free and nutrition food when they need it, free from barriers and stigma.
“We want to make sure the schools have the capacity to serve those that have the greatest need,” he says.
“We believe it’s well-timed to make this kind of investment to make the government’s program all the more successful.”
By rotating the grant focus annually, Access can address a variety of community needs.
“Next year, it could be anything from sports equipment for children to seniors health programming. There is so much need in all of our communities for investment of this nature,” he says.
Access is the largest credit union in Manitoba with more than 205,000 members, nearly 925 employees and assets of $13.5 billion.
It does about $2.2 million in community investment every year, covering a wide variety of projects, including infrastructure, events and programming.
