Contest win sends $5,000 to Macklin emergency shelter project

MACKLIN – A farm photo has earned $5,000 for a community emergency shelter project in Macklin.

Darlene Kidd, Saskatchewan winner of Lallemand Plant Care's 2026 Hometown Roots Contest, directed the prize to the Villa Marie Assisted Living Facility. The money will help buy a generator so the facility can serve as a community shelter in an emergency.

Rooting for the herd. Darlene Kidd's winning photo in Lallemand Plant Care's 2026 Hometown Roots Contest earned a $5,000 donation for an emergency shelter generator project at Villa Marie in Macklin. PHOTO COURTESY LALLEMAND PLANT CARE

"It's not just for the residents who live there, but for the entire community and rural countryside, including agricultural-based families," Kidd said.

The generator is a town-wide fundraising effort, which Kidd said made her choice easy.

"The whole community is fundraising for this. It's a community-wide project, and I didn't even have to think about where the prize funds should go. It's the whole town pulling together to make this happen."

Kidd's winning photo reflects her family's ties to agriculture. A farmer's daughter, wife and mother, she still spends most days on the family farm.

"Humongous thank you to Lallemand for running such a wonderful incentive. The community thanks you, not just me," she said.

Anne Favre, strategic marketing director for the U.S. and Canada at Lallemand Plant Care, said the contest celebrates the people who make rural communities special and helps them give back.

"We're proud that Darlene's winning entry will help support a project that benefits the entire Macklin community," Favre said.

Lallemand launched the contest in 2021. It has since recognized 34 winners and donated $170,000 to local organizations across North America. The 2026 contest ran from Jan. 26 to July 13 and awarded one $5,000 donation each in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Winners chose a local organization or charity to receive the funds.

More information is available at lallemandhometownroots.com.