THUNDER BAY – The inaugural Grand Parade in Thunder Bay kicked off at Marina Park on Saturday.
Erin Beagle, executive director at Roots Community Food Centre, said it's walk that is happening across Canada on Sept. 21st in support of seniors programming locally.
“In Thunder Bay, the walk supports our community meals at Roots Community Food Centre.
“We serve over 300 people every week with a free made from scratch meal as well as some of our aging in place programs at Bayview Towers and Castlegreen Co-operative,” she said.
Beagle said organizers love the idea of bringing people together in an accessible event that they can join at all different levels.
“There are kids here, there are people in walkers, there are seniors, there are families.”
Beagle said there are a number of reasons the walk will be held in Thunder Bay.
“Raising awareness about our program is one of them and the cost of these programs is another part of just really trying to get the funding we need to do that.”
The fundraising goal was $20,000, she said.
“I know we're hitting that. I think we're actually above that now.
“I don't know what the grand total will be yet, but all of it goes into supporting community programming, right here in Thunder Bay and all these people, that's something that's important to them.”
Beagle said the walk will be at the marina, as organizers thought it's such an iconic space in Thunder Bay.
“We're at the festival area, we're going to walk along the water, up and down two of the piers all the way over to the boat launch area. There's a rest stop there, people can sit and have a snack and then walk on back.
“It's a 2.5-kilometre loop and some folks are doing it once and some folks are doing it twice, whatever their comfort level is,” she said.
There were over 130 walkers on Saturday, Beagle said.
“There's lots of ways that people want to support different programs that they're doing. Not everybody can make large donations.
“But doing one like this where it's like a peer to peer fundraiser, people have signed up as a team and they've asked their community to donate to them, makes the message around why this is important really resonate with a larger group.
“We might have 130 walkers, but we have over 400 donors that have supported these paraders to make this possible for them,” she said.
Beagle said it is the hope to hold the Grand Parade as an annual event.
“I also want to mention that we've had some really great community support. All the food today is donated by Centennial Family Foods. That is where there's a lunch after the walk together.
“We have PDR contracting who's put in a team, RBC who's put in a team, the Indigenous Friendship Centre who's put in a team and then lots of just friends and family teams,” she said.
Meagan Ross along with her mother participated in the Grand Parade.
“I know that Thunder Bay has a higher percentage of seniors than other cities in the province. And I know that social isolation and food insecurity can be a real issue for seniors.
“I love the work that Roots does and I'm here with my mom today and other friends and their moms, just to support the senior community,” Ross said.
Ross and her mother were apart of a group with three mother-daughter teams with a group name, “Theses roots are made for walking.”
“Roots is one of those amazing organizations that really knows how to rally the people of Thunder Bay and they do innovative programs.
“I know the seniors programs are new to Roots. I think we don't have enough of these types of programs for the seniors in Thunder Bay,” Ross said.
Any members of the public can make a donation to Roots Community Food Centre through there website.
