Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Nicola Valley Health Care Auxiliary

The Nicola Valley Health Care Auxiliary is a volunteer-driven, registered non-profit and charitable organization based in Merritt, British Columbia. Since 1912, it has played a central role in strengthening health services in Merritt and the wider Nicola Valley by raising funds and redistributing them to health-care institutions, community wellness organizations and local youth. Its main ongoing fundraiser is the Auxiliary Thrift Shop, complemented by other campaigns such as collection programs and vending machines at the hospital.

The Auxiliary channels every dollar it raises back into the community to enhance health and wellness. Over the past decades it has provided close to $2 million in financial support. Beneficiaries include the Nicola Valley Hospital and Health Centre, Coquihalla Gillis House, the Nicola Valley Food Bank, the local soup kitchen, Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops, Kelowna General Hospital, Nicola Valley Family Therapy and emergency-response and relief organizations active during floods and other crises.

A key part of the Auxiliary’s mandate is to encourage young people to choose careers in health care. The organization offers volunteer placements for youth aged 14 and over, as well as summer and year-round paid employment at the Thrift Shop. In addition, it provides three bursaries of $2,000 each year to students graduating from Merritt Secondary School. Preference is given to students entering medical or health-related fields or those who have volunteered with the Auxiliary. Between 2018 and 2024, it awarded $68,000 in bursaries, helping reduce financial barriers to post-secondary studies.

The Auxiliary operates as a discretionary funder rather than a formal grant agency. Its board of directors considers how best to contribute to the comfort and welfare of the community and to assist health care groups within its means. Funding typically takes the form of direct donations for priority medical equipment, facility improvements, or specific programs such as men’s mental health services. The organization also supports broader community resilience by contributing to entities like Samaritan’s Purse, the Merritt Rotary Club and the Canadian Red Cross during major flooding events.

Through this combination of institutional donations, community program support and youth bursaries, the Nicola Valley Health Care Auxiliary has a sustained, long-term impact on the local health ecosystem and on access to care for residents of the Nicola Valley.