Steinbach Family Resource Centre releases report, creates endowment fund

Steinbach Family Resource Centre (SFRC) has released its annual report for 2025, which showed a slight deficit of about $3,000.

“We have a number of long term staff who have been here for quite a while who don’t necessarily make industry wage and eventually those staff are going to retire, and in order to replace them and to maintain the service and level of education we have in the building – to be able to continue to provide a high level of service to the families we support – we do need to make sure we are offering wages that are competitive,” said executive director Jo-Anne Dalton.

The year end financials show revenue at $380,265 largely from grants ($222,508) and donations ($119,673), with expenditures coming in at $383,043 largely due to personnel costs ($251,418).

SFRC is has also applied for a new five-year funding program called the Community Action Program for Children and Healthy Pregnancy last spring and say it should be approved before the end of the year. It’s expected to take effect next April.

“What that does for us is it will allow us a little bit more flexibility in use of these funds because right now we’re very limited on what we can use our funds for from this federal stream…,” said Dalton.

SFRC recently received $16,000 from the Steinbach Community Foundation for a commercial stove and kitchen upgrade.

“Having a commercial stove and a couple of these small kitchen renovations will allow us to make more use of some of these food partnerships and eliminate more food waste,” said Dalton. “And be able to get these nutritionally beneficial items in the hands of the most vulnerable families in the community especially those who are pregnant, nursing, or have young children in the home.”

The organization is also celebrating its 25th year in operation which Dalton said had many milestones, such as getting federal funding through the Canada prenatal nutrition program and using the funding to expand its perinatal programming, obtaining charitable status which opened up more funding for parents of children up to kindergarten, moving to its current location at 101 North Front Drive, and changing its name from Anna’s House to Steinbach Family Resource Centre to better reflect the role it has in the community.

In light of the 25th anniversary and in recognition of the organization’s first legacy board member Carmel Wiebe, SFRC has created an endowment fund managed by the Steinbach Community Foundation. It needs $7,000 to get the fund going.

“We’re encouraging the community to support that fund any way that they are able to,” said Dalton.

To contribute to the fund, visit steinbachfrc.ca/donate and select endowment fund after entering your donation amount.