At the heart of the community

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This article was published 10/12/2021 (1395 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Big things are in the works at the east end of Larsen Avenue.

Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, a non-profit that provides a range of community supports for children and families from an Indigenous perspective, is the recipient of a $500,000 grant from the Winnipeg Foundation to support its new “family care centre” in the heart of Elmwood.

That had been the plan in 2019 when Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata, which also operates several locations in the North and West Ends, moved into 575 Larsen Ave. 

“We had started a bit of programming and training here, but then COVID happened and we had to close our doors,” Rosalyn Boucha, communications manager for Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata, told The Herald. 

Shortly after public access to its sites was discontinued in March 2020, in light of COVID-19 health measures, Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata began assembling and delivering emergency food and care packages to clients across the city. 

“We do about 1,000 hampers per week,” Boucha said, noting upwards of 230,000 food kits and hampers had been distributed over the course of the pandemic to date. “When it scaled up with the Home Nutrition and Learning Program, we needed this space, because it’s the biggest space we have right now.”

The organization plans to continue with the emergency hamper program until at least March 31, 2022, if not longer.

“We’re still having conversations with the province, the city, with Harvest, for a long-term plan, because the need is not going away,” Boucha noted.

While the emergency hamper program currently makes up the bulk of the activity at 575 Larsen Ave., that is about to change. The $500,000 grant from the Winnipeg Foundation will allow Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata to begin delivering the family and youth based programming it had intended to offer at the site all along.

“Not that other care sites aren’t family focused,” Boucha noted. “But this will be the family care centre. That’s what the Winnipeg Foundation grant is helping facilitate, to start doing that programming and being able to offer it to the Elmwood community.”

The space itself provides ample opportunity for the organization to meet the needs of the community.

“We already work with a lot of families and individuals who live in this area, but we didn’t have an accessible location (before)” Boucha said. “This is the perfect location. It’s at the end of a street, it’s super quiet, the greenspace outside is amazing, there’s a splash pad, a park, and the building is huge. It’s a super accessible area, so we’re really happy to be here.”

The nearby green space, in particular, is unique for the organization.

“We’re looking forward to some cultural programming, land-based programming, things like that we can do outside with families and kids outside who don’t have access to green space either,” Boucha said. “That’s really exciting.”

But with uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and new variants of concern, Boucha said no firm timeline is in place for when those programs will open to the community. 

“There are a lot of things in motion right now,” Boucha said. “When we have a good plan in place to open our doors in safe way for both our staff and community, then we’ll move ahead with opening up this space.”

Sheldon Birnie
Community Journalist

Sheldon Birnie is a reporter/photographer for the Free Press Community Review. The author of Missing Like Teeth: An Oral History of Winnipeg Underground Rock (1990-2001), his writing has appeared in journals and online platforms across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A husband and father of two young children, Sheldon enjoys playing guitar and rec hockey when he can find the time. Email him at sheldon.birnie@canstarnews.com Call him at 204-697-7112

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