Thanksgiving is always a special occasion. It is a time to reflect upon our blessings and be thankful for these. For us at CAFE, it is also a time to look around at others in our community, and give back in the ways that we can. Each year, CAFE distributes hundreds of frozen turkeys to members of our community that need assistance in putting together their holiday meals.
Each of our five downtown Toronto dispensary locations starts to prepare early in the morning for the expected influx of regular customers as well as just anyone in the neighbourhood who needs a turkey. We don’t ask for a purchase, just that each family take only one turkey in order to allow as many people as possible to receive one for their Thanksgiving celebration.
Saturday, October 7 was a sunny but chilly morning, with Toronto residents feeling the crisp air of fall. At each of our five CAFE locations, people began to line up hours in advance of the giveaway start times, awaiting their free turkey. It was a humbling experience for us at CAFE to see how many people looked to us to help them provide a Thanksgiving meal for their families. We are always happy to serve those in our community, and honoured to be able to provide these turkeys and help people make happy memories with their loved ones.
At each CAFE location, our staff rolled up their sleeves and got to work. We set up tables outside, and staff worked in teams to unpack boxes of frozen turkeys, place each one in a bag and hand them out to each person approaching the table. The turkeys were well received, and many people enthusiastically thanked our team for their efforts and for providing them with an opportunity for a wholesome Thanksgiving dinner.
We are extremely grateful to our CAFE staff for their hard work on Thanksgiving weekend, making sure that so many others in the community would get a chance to enjoy a turkey dinner with their families. We are also humbled at the opportunity to continue to serve others in every way we can. We look forward to our next round of charitable ventures – with the holidays approaching, we will soon start preparing for our annual toy and food drives to benefit women and children in local shelters.
