Another warm, wonderful summer is coming to an end, and here at CAFE we find ourselves preparing for fall! The last couple of months have offered us all a great opportunity to relax, get outside and come together with others at social events. As we start to get into sweater weather mode, we find ourselves looking forward to the next few months, which we expect to be filled with lots of community-centric activities.
CAFE is more than just another Toronto dispensary. Aside from the business of cannabis, CAFE has always maintained a strong interest in community development, and being an agent of positive change. We strive to be the best neighbours, community members and citizens that we can be, by bringing forth goodwill and taking active steps towards improving the lives of those around us. Over the next few months, we plan to embark upon a campaign of charitable activations in order to help others, and benefit our community at large.
Fall Community Cleanups
Our fall plans begin with our bi-annual community cleanup efforts. Each spring and fall, CAFE staff and volunteers take to the streets with brooms, pickers and trash bags, and work to clean up the streets in each of the four Toronto neighbourhoods that are home to our storefronts. We designate multiple days and times for these cleanup efforts, and welcome extra hands on deck! Our street teams are made up of CAFE staff members and community volunteers, who often reach out to us by email or over social media asking how they can help. We are grateful to all our volunteers, as we know that their assistance makes all the difference in our community efforts.
Our first fall cleanup is scheduled for Friday, September 2 at our 104 Harbord St location. Interested volunteers should send us an email, or DM us on Instagram – we would love to have you join us!
Birthday Bash
October is a special month for us at CAFE. We celebrate our 6th birthday on October 16 this year! Our birthday is a very festive day at all of our locations. Customers can expect all kinds of fun and excitement in store, from surprise giveaways, great discounts and more. This year, we’ll be giving away a massive birthday gift basket to one lucky winner – customers will have a chance to enter the draw in the weeks leading up to the big day.
Thanksgiving Turkey Drive
October is also a time to give thanks – and here at CAFE, we are eager to spread joy and kindness around the Thanksgiving holiday with our annual turkey drive. This year, we are preparing to give away a total of 800 turkeys across our four locations – available to any community member who needs one, no questions asked. One does not need to be a customer in order to access a turkey for their Thanksgiving holiday meal. On Saturday, October 8, visit any of our locations and collect your own turkey for your Thanksgiving celebration. Exact timing and schedule will be posted on our website closer to the date, and will also be announced via our newsletter and Instagram.
Halloween Fun!
The end of October brings everyone’s favourite spooky time – Halloween! We absolutely love Halloween, and our staff will be more than happy to get dressed up in their favourite costume. We also host a community pumpkin carving contest – local residents are encouraged to come in and pick up a free pumpkin from us that they can carve and bring back as an entry into our contest. The spookiest pumpkin will be selected on October 31, and all pumpkins will be displayed within our store all Halloween weekend!
Christmas Food & Toy Drives
As fall turns into winter, we look to the Christmas holidays and focus our efforts there. Each year, CAFE hosts a massive food and toy drive, with all donations sent to local charity organizations that directly serve the populations that need these items most. Throughout December, we collect food and toy donations from our customers and community members, with the promise to match the quantity of food, and number of toys collected. Just before Christmas, we load up all the donations and bring them directly to our community partners – Parkdale Food Bank, Fort York Food Bank, and Sistering Shelter for Women.
Volunteers Welcome!
We are grateful to our staff, community members, volunteers and all partners that work with us to help serve our community and bring about positive change. To learn more about our charitable efforts, click here to see last year’s Thanksgiving Turkey Drive, and our Christmas Food and Toy Drives. If you’d like to join us this year, please don’t hesitate to contact us – we would love to hear from you!
