The JCLS approved two grants for the Bento Box and the Manitoba Buddhist Temple History Preservation projects in 2024. We are grateful to JCLS for their support that allows us to recognize and honour our elder members who survived the WWII internment of Japanese Canadians.

Keirokai celebration, May 2023

The $14 million Community Fund addresses the enduring intergenerational impact that government actions had on the Japanese-Canadian community. The program not only honours the past, but invests in the future by allocating funds to six project streams: community projects, arts, sports, scholarships, infrastructure, and intergenerational wellness.

As we did in 2022 during the pandemic, the Manitoba Buddhist Temple will be delivering Bento boxes to the approximate 30 sangha members who are survivors of the internment. The meals provided are in gratitude of the difficulties and hardships they endured and for their strength and resiliency in overcoming adversity.

The second grant for 2024 is for a research project to document and preserve the 77-year history of the Manitoba Buddhist Association Inc., including gathering of photos and videos, as well as compiling the MBT History Book, Bulletins, newspaper and television coverage, and interviews with elder members.

It is hoped that the initiatives funded by the Japanese Canadian Legacies fund will honour our elders past and present and for generations to come.