Twice But Nice held its annual meeting at the Dow Centennial Centre earlier this week.
The meeting included sharing their achievements in 2022, their goals for 2023, and hearing from their grantees.
"Last year we granted over $23,000 to 11 organizations for 13 projects within our community," said president Judy Rehill. "This is an increase of over 53 per cent over the previous year's grants."
Money made from the downtown second store goes to the groups and projects.
One of the grant recipients was St. Andre Bessette, who used the $2,500 grant towards their breakfast program.
"We were able to start a weekly breakfast program that feeds up to 600 students per week," said Katy Parsons, family wellness worker with the school. "It is an opportunity for our students to be able to come to school, access food, and not have to worry about it for the day."
Parsons added that the grant went towards infrastructure, such as a fridge, a freezer, and other supplementary supplies.
"Spoons, forks, plates, stuff like that."
As for the food itself, that was provided by the Fort Saskatchewan Food Bank.
Another grant recipient was the Fort Saskatchewan Community Band, who used their $1,000 grant towards music scores.
"Everybody knows things get stale after a while, so you just want to jazz it up a little bit," said Cathy Williamson, treasurer of the community band.
Some of the music they purchased include Boughs of Holley, Tijuana Brass, and Sir Duke, among others.
"It gives us new stuff to practice, new challenges, and that gives us the enthusiasm to bring to our audience, who are also going to enjoy hearing new things."
Here is a list of all the other grant recipients from Twice But Nice in 2022:
- Canadian Red Cross - $2,073.10
- Linking Generations Society of Alberta - $1,300
- Fort Saskatchewan High School Breakfast Program - $2,000
- Fort Saskatchewan High School Family Feast - $1,000
- Kidsport Fort Saskatchewan - $2,000
- Fort Saskatchewan Food Bank Xmas Hamper Turkeys and Hams - $7,000
- St. Andre Bessette High School Breakfast Program - $2,500
- FCSS & Families First Society - Dragon Fly Group Childcare - $738
- Fort Saskatchewan Community Band - $1,000
- Fort Saskatchewan Music Festival - $700
- Bach to Pop Chorale Society - $2,000
- Hosting Ukrainians in Fort Saskatchewan - $1,000
As for what Twice But Nice has planned for next year, they hope to host their first annual donor and customer appreciation event.