The Portage la Prairie Friendship Centre and Dakota Ojibway Child & Family Services recently collaborated to ensure residents are getting breakfast.

The Friendship Centre spent the day Thursday passing out hampers to families in need. DOCFS family implementation coordinator Natalie Daniels explains how the hampers came to be.

"We received some funding from the Breakfast Clubs of Canada. We looked into our urban areas where the majority of our families and children reside. We looked into putting together a partnership with the Friendship Centers in Winnipeg, Portage, and Brandon," says Daniels. "So, we divided it up to the population size, and Portage la Prairie got 100 wonderful breakfast kits."

The centre was busy leading up to the distribution, taking names for the hampers and putting them together. A typical hamper includes pancake mix, syrup, granola bars, juice and more. Friendship Centre housing

A sample of the breakfast kit coordinator Jeanna Emms notes it was the right thing to do.

"It just fits our programming very well," says Emms. "A lot of our clients utilize services from the Friendship Center in the area, and with this difficult time, it's nice to know that even the kids that aren't going to school are getting a nice breakfast."

The Portage Friendship Centre has also gone above and beyond, packing more hampers through COVID-19. The staff at the centre was worried many Elders may not be able to leave their house and also wanted to help out the city's homeless population.

Daniels says it's always worthwhile to form these long-lasting partnerships.

"DOCFS is keen on partnering and keeping community resources strong, such as our relationships and our networks. So, when we have something new coming along, we connect with our wonderful resources in our communities," says Daniels. "Whether it's in Portage, Dakota Tipi, Long Plains, or wherever our agency has offices."

The Portage Friendship Centre gives thanks to the community as a whole for their continued support.