Queen's Landing Grand Georgian Ballroom Meeting | October 05, 2026
100+ Women Who Care NOTL has chosen three contenders in the fifth meeting at the Queen's Landing Grand Georgian Ballroom.
Three local organizations presented their causes. Amanda Gamble spoke on behalf of Friends of Fort George, an organization that protects and promotes Niagara's National Historic Sites. Marilyn Rickard, from Newark Neighbours Food Bank run entirely by about 130 volunteers and receives no government funding, relying on the community and its Thrift Store. And Jennifer Coffey represented Ozanam Centre Soup Kitchen, serving bagged lunches five days a week to 140 to 240 people, with no paperwork and no questions asked.
Jennifer Coffey's powerful and moving presentation convinced the group to select Ozanam Centre Soup Kitchen to receive the donation of $22,000.
Charity Presentations
Amanda Gamble
Executive Director
- Working in partnership with Parks Canada, this organization protects and promotes Niagara's National Historic Sites, including Fort George, Fort Mississauga and Brock's Monument. With about 300 members, it has hired 180 students since 2015, investing over $1 million in local youth. It is currently creating a new multilingual display at Brock's Monument and preparing to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2027.
$22,000
Jennifer Coffey
Executive Director
- This St. Catharines soup kitchen serves bagged lunches five days a week to 140 to 240 people, with no paperwork and no questions asked. Run by about 50 volunteers and one paid employee, it serves people who are homeless, seniors on fixed incomes, and women leaving domestic violence. Meals served have grown from 14,483 in 2018 to 35,892 in 2025, and the centre has outgrown its small hall kitchen and needs commercial-sized equipment.
Marilyn Rickard
Volunteer Liaison
- Founded 55 years ago by Peggy Anderson, Newark Neighbours is run entirely by about 130 volunteers and receives no government funding, relying on the community and its Thrift Store. It now supports roughly 400 Niagara-on-the-Lake residents, including 200 children, and expects to pack about 160 Thanksgiving hampers this week. Beyond food, it provides school lunches, bursaries for clients' children, help with rent, and assistance with income tax returns. Their vision is that no resident of Niagara-on-the-Lake should ever go hungry.
