Dear Editor,
I am writing about the Ponoka Neighborhood Place. What is Neighborhood Place? It is a place for anyone in need of assistance and additionally for help with faxing and photocopies. People can also use the phone for government calls or a computer to find government services.
Keith at Neighborhood Place has been helping community members for many years and has a wish list for new programs, including a weekly lunch project and a program to address poverty in the region. At the present time the MEND program, to address unhealthy weight gain in among young people, has been put on hold by the government but can return to Ponoka with help. He provides assistance and encouragement to people wanting to go to college and even university and helps them find a place to live.
Let Ponoka be a place with a strong, much needed community support system. It will be necessary to obtain consistent, ongoing funding from the population of Ponoka and surrounding area.
From my personal experience I would not be where I am today (at college) without the assistance coming from Neighborhood Place.
There are many people in Ponoka living on the streets that need help and Neighborhood Place can provide that help and has the ability to assist and get them headed in the right direction. I would like to see Neighborhood Place open five days a week rather than the two days a week that is happening now. To do the work that needs to be done, Neighborhood Place needs consistent funding from the community and all levels of the government.
Margaret Helm