The Grand River Agricultural Society (GRAS) recently awarded three donations totalling $13,000. All presentations took place at Grand River Raceway, which is operated by GRAS.

The recipients and projects are summarized below:

Everdale Farm - David Alexander: $1,500 for the purchase of seeds and small equipment for the Good Food Project. Everdale is a farm-based organization located in Hillsburgh, Ont., that provides hands-on, solution-based food and farming education to build and engage healthy local communities.

Equine Guelph - Gayle Ecker: $10,000 for the redevelopment of Equine Guelph's JobTrack service. JobTrack is a service used to link employers with people dedicated to working in the equine industry.

Ontario Farmland Trust - Krista Long: $1,500 in support of the Farmland Forum. The annual Farmland Forum brings together planners, politicians, farmers, farmland owners, researchers and conservationists to discuss the most current issues related to farmland protection in Ontario.

The GRAS is a not-for-profit society, incorporated under the Agricultural and Horticultural Societies Act of Ontario and operated by a volunteer board of directors. It is part of the GRAS mandate to encourage an awareness of agriculture and to promote improvements in the quality of life of persons living in an agricultural community.

Jamie Martin (left), director of operations at Grand River Raceway, and Paul Walker (right), president of the Grand River Agricultural Society, present Gayle Ecker a cheque for the redevelopment of Equine Guelph's JobTrack service.

As a proud community partner, GRAS provides funding and gift-in-kind support for initiatives which align with its mandate. Since the inception of Grand River Raceway in 2004, GRAS has provided funding and Gift-In-Kind support for initiatives totalling more than $1.75 million.

For more information about volunteering with GRAS, becoming a member, or applying for funding for an initiative which is in alignment with their mandate, visit www.grandriveragsociety.com/giving or call 519.846.8879.

(GRAS)