As we know, the price of a tin of vegetables here at home ranges from under $1 to $2 per tin, depending on if there is a sale. Did you know that in the North, they can pay upwards of TEN DOLLARS for ONE tin of vegetables… WOW!! The North of 60 Project is an annual project of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP) Conferences across Canada. The national SSVP leadership reaches out and establishes contacts in remote communities north of the 60th parallel. They identify their needs and then each conference is assigned various items (non-perishables and other day-to-day household supplies, etc.) to fill sea containers; delivery by sea is the most economical way to transport these donations to these remote communities. This year, the Good Shepherd Parish SSVP Conference is responsible for supplying tinned vegetables. Given the COVID challenges with receiving and handling the generous donations, we are seeking to fulfill our mandate in this project by asking everyone for financial donations that will be directed specifically to this project. Our SSVP members would then go out and purchase the tins at the best possible price and deliver them to a central location in Ottawa where we have a shipping container rented for this purpose. From there it is delivered to Montreal and loaded onto a ship for the northern destinations. We are also requested to collect contributions towards the rental of the sea containers and the actual shipping costs. In the past these costs have been approximately $10,000. And so, we are asking for your generosity to help those in need in the North via this annual project. If you could please contribute a generous amount that will go towards the purchase of the tins of vegetables and any remaining funds will go towards the cost of any remaining needs (items to be purchased for this project) as well as to cover the shipping. The cutoff date to receive funds is 15 June 2021. The National SSVP site has a link to a “donation” portal. When donating on this site, please indicate that it is for the Good Shepherd Conference; a charitable receipt is issued automatically. Donations via this site are deducted a 3% processing fee from the total amount. Link: https://www.imakeanonlinedonation.org/ssvp-national/ E-transfer donations may also be made by sending them to Barry Dunn, Good Shepherd SSVP Treasurer: [email protected] ; you will receive a charitable donation receipt in the mail. Here are two links to videos for more information on this project: https://youtu.be/Jhv5dRYQ_r4 and https://youtu.be/cWVl-Ujs0bU Thank you for considering this request and we pray that the parishioners and friends of The Good Shepherd Parish will again show their generosity to help those less fortunate in the North. Thank You and God Bless You