Rotary learns of Foodgrains Bank’s international endeavours
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- Published on Thursday, April 21, 2016
Photo by Eoin Devereux. Ray Baloun shared details of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank’s works with the Neepawa Rotary Club on Apr. 15.
By Eoin Devereux
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
A presentation on Friday, Apr. 15, during the Rotary Club of Neepawa’s weekly luncheon, examined the ongoing international efforts of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Ray Baloun, a board member with Canadian Foodgrains Bank, shared details and photos of a recent trip he and other members of the organization took to Laos and India. The excursion was part of the group’s resolution to help people grow their own food and also improve water and sanitation in their villages.
The trip involved members of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank travelling to several remote locations to see for themselves what types of improvements have been made through the group’s efforts, while also learning what additional work still needs to be done. Baloun said taking the information gathered from these trips and sharing it with community groups like the Rotary Club is very important.
“I do about 10 of these type of presentations every year. I love talking about the work being done. In a lot of ways, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank is a well kept secret. A lot of people in the city, or even in small towns, haven’t even heard about [the organization] or the tremendous work that it does,” said Baloun. “It’s very important to get the message out there, because there are times, when people will hear about what’s going on globally, they step up and say that they’d like to help as well.”
Baloun also discussed Kernels of Hope, a nonprofit organization, which he founded, that solicits farmers to donate land and time to assist with feeding the world’s hungry. Kernels of Hope sees donors “purchase” acreage from farmers by covering the cost to grow on the land. The farmers will then donate their time and effort to grow a crop on that designated portion of land. When the crop is harvested and sold, the proceeds are donated to World Relief Canada.
Baloun added that if anyone is interested in learning more about Kernels of Hope, they can find details online at the Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada website.
