Dear editor:

While Canadians are generous to charities, especially during times of crisis, it is difficult to keep that going for two years during a once-in-a-generation pandemic.  

There was a groundswell of support for charities in the early months of the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, but understandably that support is difficult to maintain as community members try to move past the crisis mode.  

However, at the same time, the demand for charitable services has not decreased. Instead charities have seen a significant increase in demands for services.  

The result is that many charities can no longer meet the demand, as they are stretched and challenged both financially and with staffing to the point where some may not survive.  

Research from Imagine Canada estimated that as many as one in four charities may not be able to continue to operate.  We cannot ignore the crisis facing the charities Canadians and residents of Niagara depend on.  

Now is not the time to give in to “pandemic fatigue.”

I urge you all to reflect on what you have to be grateful for and what you are able to offer others, even at this difficult time.

Please consider supporting thel NOTL Community Fund through the Niagara Community Foundation, to help the charities that do so much to support our community. 

We are in this together.

Mike Berlis

Chair

Niagara-on-the-Lake Community Fund