Neighbours Helping Neighbours (NHN) is a grant that supports getting to know the folks around you and building connections. NHN does not replace official disaster response, but these close relationships can be invaluable when something unexpected comes along. From needing to borrow a missing ingredient to having someone keep an eye on your home when you are on vacation, being surrounded by people you can trust can make a huge difference in your quality of life.
These kind of relationships just don’t happen and one has to create opportunities to connect with their neighbors and spend time getting to know each other. Sault Ste. Marie is offering grants of up to $500 for neighbourhoods that host an event which will allow neighbours to connect and build resilience at a neighbourhood scale.
Application Period
January – March
Application Reviews
April
Grants Awarded
Emergency Preparedness Week (May 06)
Please submit your completed application to online to fire@cityssm.on.ca, or by mail to Fire Services – 72 Tancred Street, SSM ON, P6A 2W1
Neighbours Helping Neighbours Successful Grants
Garden Ave.
The NHN event on August 23 was a huge success, bringing neighbours together with support from the City. Coordinating a date was a challenge, but through flyers, emails, and word-of-mouth, we made it happen. The turnout was fantastic, with everyone pitching in to set up, share food, and connect. Seeing new and longtime residents meet and bond was incredible. The event strengthened our community, ensuring that in times of need, we have each other’s support. It was just the beginning of something great!
Oak Park Cres.
Our neighbourhood was thrilled to gather, strengthen connections, and discuss how we can support each other. Everyone contributed to a shared meal, and conversations covered local safety, greenspaces, and community concerns. The event was a huge success, and we’re excited to continue this tradition for years to come.
Donna Drive
Thanks to the NHN project, our neighbours at Bella Donna Villas and West Park Nine Condominiums held two wonderful gatherings. On June 23, the Red Cross provided a vital emergency preparedness presentation, especially valuable for our senior residents. We enjoyed a BBQ feast together, strengthening connections. On September 13, we reunited for a pizza party and bocce tournament, with Uncle Gino’s award-winning pizza and homemade treats. Laughter, great food, and a sense of community made both events unforgettable. We can’t wait to do it again next year.
Crestwood Avenue
Neighbours gathered to build friendships and get to know one another. The grant money helped host a summer block party. We used this opportunity to reach out to The Piper Project, which donated a lending library to our street. In the evening, we welcomed some very new neighbours who just moved and heard what a great place Crestwood is to live. Thank you again, we cannot wait to continue to connect with neighbours and host a bigger event again next summer!
Jamestown Sal’s Summer Kids Day
There are amazing people that call Jamestown their home! Our community group Jamestown Strong was started to bring our community together. Sal’s Summer Kids Day involves games, craft tables, food, drinks, popcorn and cotton candy. Every year we try to make it bigger and better and thanks to the City’s grant it was one of the best so far! This was a special day that brings our community closer together.
Neighbours Helping Neighbours
Highcrest and Northridge neighbours brought over their tables, chairs, tents, coolers, and other equipment. Friends arrived ready to build community and share in a meal with each other. The children planted some seeds to watch grow and eventually developed the natural ecosystem of the neighbourhood. Watching everyone spend time with their friends, meet neighbours and rekindle some old friendships is a special thing. It is always wonderful to see the support, care, and connections that are so effortlessly made between neighbours when given the opportunity. The project organizers hope that the tradition of the Annual Block Party continues and even evolves.
Neighbours Helping Neighbours
We saw this grant as an opportunity to do something together as a mini community in the Alworth Place neighbourhood. We did a backyard gathering with Clean North and the local Horticultural Society. We wanted to do something for the environment in our neighbourhood by planting a pollinator garden. We also hosted a block party which was a neighbourhood yard sale/bake sale/lemonade stand with proceeds going to St. Vincent Place. Many neighbours contributed baked treats or goods to the yard sale and bake sale. We also built a mini-library on our street to share our reading materials with each other. We felt the project was a huge success! During the process of getting together we were able to get to know each other a little better, share resources, learn a few things and do meaningful work for others and the environment.
Woodward Celebrates Inclusion and Neighbours Getting to Know Neighbours
On Woodward Avenue, everyone is friendly. We hosted a barbecue, and it was a beautiful day spent with friends and children playing, and having fun. As it was Canada Day, the event was capped off with a group walk to the waterfront to take in the fireworks. What surprised me was how many people contributed food from their own households. All in all, it was a day of celebration, friendship, and great food. And now, the celebration has provided a common ground for conversations between neighbours on the street and I noticed an increased sense of connection in our small community’s ability to weather any future emergencies through our new contacts and connections.
Greenfield Subdivision Christmas Celebration
The Greenfield Subdivision Christmas parade is an event that has expanded to include a barbecue and fireworks. We also collected non-perishable food items to help support the Sault Ste. Marie Soup Kitchen in time for the holiday season. Our neighbourhood is a tight-knit community that provides a warm welcoming environment for all. Our social media page is used throughout the year to communicate events, community safety messages, concerns and other news. People continually say how much they love living in our neighbourhood and those who do not live in our area sometimes state that they wish they did. The streets in our neighbourhood are safe and welcoming for everyone because of the relationships people have built. We all have created a small town feel within the city.