MAIN PHOTO: Program facilitator Sara MacLean (left) and EHFRC Executive Director Cathy MacDonald hold gift bags for new moms, part of a program funded by Bell Let’s Talk. (Submitted photo)
ELMSDALE: East Hants Family Resource Centre (EHFRC) is pleased to receive a $7,500 Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund grant to support new mothers adjusting to parenthood.
EHFRC is dedicated to nurturing and supporting healthy family life through quality child and family development programs.
The Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund grant will help fund the creation of Mother’s Wellness 2.0, an eight-week, two-hour support group for up to 10 moms facing stress, anxiety or depression adjusting to life with a baby in the first year.
“We are thrilled to be a grant recipient of the 2020 Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund,” said Cathy MacDonald, Executive Director East Hants Family Resource Centre. “During COVID-19, like many agencies, we’ve had to become creative in our interaction with families.
“One way we are adjusting is by adding regular door-to-door drop-offs of small pick-me-up gifts such as journals and chocolates. These driveway visits give us another chance to safely check in with our moms while putting a smile on their faces – and ours too!”
EHFRC has successfully adapted the Mother’s Wellness 2.0 program by facilitating weekly group sessions over video conferencing and coordinating socially distanced outdoor hikes, allowing new moms who are struggling in the first year of motherhood to connect with each other, provide peer support, and take part in conversations facilitated by staff.
“Bell Let’s Talk is pleased to help East Hants Family Resource Centre support new moms facing challenges adjusting to life with babies,” said Mary Deacon, Chair of Bell Let’s Talk. “The Bell Let’s Talk Community Fund supports a diverse range of community-based organizations throughout the country, like EHFRC, that are taking action to improve access to mental health care and working to make a positive difference through evidence-based programs that meet the needs of their communities.”
Bell Let’s Talk promotes Canadian mental health with national awareness and anti-stigma campaigns like Bell Let’s Talk Day and significant Bell funding of community care and access, research and workplace leadership initiatives throughout the country.
To learn more, please visit Bell.ca/LetsTalk.
