Mississippi Mills is deeply stitched into who I am. I was born in Almonte, raised on Highway 29 (‘The Highway’) just shy of the Cedar Hill turnoff, and went to Pakenham Public and Almonte High School. Like many people who grow up in small town and rural Ontario, I left for school and work, and later to raise a family, because the opportunities I needed at the time weren’t available close to ‘home’. But I never stopped thinking of Mississippi Mills as “my place.” It shaped how I see people, community, and what we owe one another.

From the outside, our quaint Mississippi Mills communities in Almonte, Appleton, Blakeney, Clayton and Pakenham can seem picturesque, like everything is going well.  Each has its own pride and rhythm and we’re connected by the same back roads, the Mississippi River, and the way people show up when someone needs a hand. From the outside, it can all look postcard-perfect.

But when you’ve lived it, you know the full picture. I’ve spent enough time on these roads and at kitchen tables to know how quickly one unexpected bill can tip a household or a small business into crisis, how isolation can creep up on seniors, and how some youth are quietly struggling. That’s why the Mississippi Mills Community Fund (MMCF) makes sense to me: a practical, lasting way to turn local care into steady support for the long haul.

The Hub and the Legacy That Shaped Me

The Hub is personal for me. My mum, Julia Thomas, helped to found it, and for more than five decades it has been a steady force of resilience and care in our community. It has weathered the kind of setbacks that could have ended it, including the loss of its original location to fire and the major work required to renovate its current home and keep the doors open. That perseverance says everything about the women who founded it. They do not quit on their neighbours.

The Hub turns everyday generosity into practical support that strengthens our community year after year. MMCF complements that work by turning financial gifts into something permanent. Donations to MMCF are pooled and invested, and the earnings are granted back to the community every year, creating steady funding for local projects for generations.

That’s why, when MMCF came to The Hub asking for support, they answered with a pledge of $25,000 over five years. To me, that’s more than a donation. It’s a vote of confidence in the idea of a forever fund, from people who understand firsthand what it takes to sustain care in rural communities. In places like ours, support isn’t automatic. It’s built person by person, year by year. It takes a shared heartbeat, not just good intentions, to keep neighbours helping neighbours.

An Invitation to Be Part of It

If Mississippi Mills is your home, you know what it feels like when people show up. And if you’re a friend of this community, a former resident, a seasonal visitor, or a local business, you’ve felt it too. The Mississippi Mills Community Fund is a simple way to turn that feeling into something lasting.

Give what you can. Give once, or commit over time. Businesses can give as neighbours and as leaders. Families can give in honour of the people and places that shaped them. Every contribution becomes part of a permanent resource, one that will keep supporting care, opportunity, and belonging across Almonte, Pakenham, Clayton, Blakeney, Appleton and beyond.

This is how we protect what makes Mississippi Mills special, not just for today, but for generations.

Join the Founding Circle

This is the very beginning of the Mississippi Mills Community Fund. Our goal is to raise the first $50,000 as a community and to recognize the early believers who help make it happen.

When you give during this inaugural campaign, you become part of the Founding Circle.

How to Give:

You can donate securely at www.mmcommunityfund.ca or make cheques payable to: Ottawa Community Foundation and add Mississippi Mills Community Fund in the memo line. This ensures that it will be routed to our fund and processed accordingly. 

Please mail cheques to: Mississippi Mills Community Fund, PO Box 257, Almonte, Ontario K0A1A0

Contact Us:  Let’s Connect – Mississippi Mills Community Fund