It’s almost December, and we at CAFE are busily getting ready for the holidays. One of our favourite annual traditions is our Annual Toy Drive, where we seek to collect as many donations of new, unwrapped toys to distribute to children in need for the holidays. We know that Christmas is an exciting time for young ones, many of whom will be excitedly waiting to see what presents Santa may leave under the tree. Through our Toy Drive, we hope to bring joy and delight to as many children in our community as possible.
From Dec 1 through 15, stop in at any one of our four CAFE locations with a new, unwrapped toy for our Toy Drive. We will be matching donations, before collecting all toys and delivering them to our community partners by Dec 20. This will enable the toys enough time to make their way to the homes of children in need, just before Christmas Eve.
This year, we have partnered with Yonge Street Mission, and Sistering – both local organizations dedicated to helping community members in need. Toronto is Canada’s largest and richest city and consistently ranks in the top three of more than 4,000 cities to live in globally. However, Toronto is also the child poverty capital of Canada with one in four children living in poverty. Yonge Street Mission (YSM) serves children, teens and adults living in chronic poverty, and seeks to provide people with the resources they need to rise up out of poverty. YSM has been active in the community since 1896, and we are proud to align with this organization in helping make Christmas more memorable for families and children this year.
Sistering is a multi-service agency for at-risk, socially isolated women and trans people in Toronto who are homeless or precariously housed. The organization runs a 24-hour drop-in centre at 962 Bloor St, just steps away from our 932 Bloor St CAFE dispensary location. Sistering has been working to meet the needs of marginalized women that are fleeing from violence and unsafe situations since 1980. Today, their mission also includes trans women, who face a high risk of violence as well.
We are proud to work with these amazing community organizations that do so much to help the most vulnerable members of our society. Join us in helping to bring some holiday joy this holiday season! If you are able to donate, please check out our Locations page and see which CAFE dispensary is closest to you. We are grateful for all donations, and hope that together, we can make a difference.
