Provencher remains the most generous riding in Canada.

In one of the most sobering passages in the Bible, Jesus says the following:

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’… ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Charitable giving is so important.

There are so many in need around the world including in our own backyard.

Provencher residents recognize this reality, and many are actively working to do something about it.

Statistics Canada recently released their 2022 tax data and, once again, Provencher communities ranked first in the nation when it comes to charitable giving.

Steinbach and the surrounding area have the highest average of people donating and the highest median donations per capita in Canada.

Leading the way in 2022 was Blumenort with an average donation of $3,780. Kleefeld (at $2,320) and Steinbach (at $2,240) rounded out the top three.

Steinbach was noted as having the greatest ratio of donations to total income.

For years, our southeast community has led Canadians when it comes to charitable giving.

As statisticians have noticed a downward trend, overall, in charitable giving, in Canada, in recent years, our community has increased our giving.

Millions of Canadians, including many here in Provencher, are struggling to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads. Businesses are struggling to keep their doors open as their tax burden continues to go up and the buying power of people’s money continues to decline.

The fact that charitable donations have increased over the past year, even as many families and businesses are struggling to get by, says a lot about this generous and compassionate community.

In Provencher, whether one is religious or not, we take seriously Christ’s command to love our neighbor and to help those in need.

I am so proud of our community.

We are very blessed to live where we do, and we recognize the importance of paying that blessing forward.

Thank you to all who have made charitable donations, and all who will make donations in 2024.