Happy Spring Sisters and Brothers! North of 60 is once again full steam ahead even though the pandemic is biting at our heels.

This new lockdown will again put a damper in our gathering of food items. Items usually gifted by the schools and our parishes won’t be able to be collected due to their closures. This means that our local conferences/councils will most likely need to purchase food items but our grocery shelves are not bare this year. (see… a rose can be found everywhere).

I am happy to share that we will be helping 7 Nunavut communities this summer: Whale Cove, Rankin Inlet, Chesterfield Inlet, Naujaat, Gjoa Haven, Taloyoak and Kugaaruk.

You do not see Baker Lake among the community names - this a gentle good thing. The local mine, AgnicoEagle, has stepped up to begin and fully support a food bank for the community. The community knows we are here should they decide they need our help again. It was the community that said “go help another community”.

The pandemic is currently not present in our communities. Government assistance is beginning to slow down, and for some communities it has completely disappeared. We are sending containers to four communities. Each of these communities has an afterschool program that the government assistance will not support. I have assured the priests and sisters that we will be there for them. The children receive two hearty snacks each evening while they are there. We can do this!!

The remaining communities have ‘some’ food untouched yet from last summer due to the government assistance. The container food will be used but there is not enough food support to last the community until October 2022. A new plan was devised and it is ONLY for this summer. The communities of Gjoa Haven, Taloyoak and Kugaaruk will receive financial assistance. Financial support will be sent three times to each community – before Christmas, Easter and July. The funds will be sent to the clergy who will be the sole person to distribute the funds in the form of a food voucher for the family to use at their local Co-op Store. The local Co-op managers are working alongside us to ensure purchases are for food – not candy, not cigarettes, no pop – food items only. The family must also meet with their priest to share their situation in order to receive the voucher.

I have been in constant communications with Father Lukasz who is the priest for these 3 communities. We are blessed that the store mangers want to help us help their communities.

The community of Arviat was the hardest hit by COVID. They had high case counts and went into total lockdown very early and remained there for a long period of time. Due to these circumstances, governmental assistance for the community has been flowing. It is due to this assistance that the container sent last fall has not been opened. The community is still receiving a great amount of assistance. Therefore, in conversations with Fr. Radek, he believed this community will be fine.

We are ALL in this together for the summer of 2021.

In closing, I turn to you again and ask for your renewed support:

• North of 60 always needs financial support at both the local and Regional levels.
• The gathering of food items at your local conference/council.
• The consideration of adopting a new community praying to receive the Society’s help.
• Your prayers.

Your local conferences/councils needing your support:

Ottawa Particular Council:	Claire Heal (Claire-heal@sympatico.ca) Rankin Inlet
St. Raphael’s Conference:	Margaret Lafontaine (iamalwayscold@gmail.com)Whale Cove
Windsor-Essex Central Council:	Anita Gibb (jgibb11@cogeco.ca) Gjoa Haven
St. Patrick’s Conference:	Michael Wasney (Michael.wasney@hotmail.com) Taloyoak
Peel Particular Council:	Margaret Ramsey (Margaret@perenialgardener.ca) Kugaaruk
St. Catharines Central Council:	Louise Librock (librockl@hotmail.ca) Naujaat
Kitchener Waterloo Particular Council:	Pegg Leroux (lerouxp05@gmail.com) Chesterfield Inlet

Thank You and God Bless. Please reach out to me for any and all of your questions.

Pegg Leroux