We donated care packages on the streets of downtown Toronto

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Campaigns

Donations

In-Person

Volunteering

by Blankets for T.O. on July 23rd, 2022

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

Blankets for T.O. went on a donation run on Sunday, June 26th, 2022 to hand out food packages for the homeless on the streets of Toronto.

Our day first started at Toronto Union Station. Members of the executive team were also joined by one of our general members. From there, we walked northwards towards Toronto City Hall and stopped by every homeless individual we found on the streets. We handed out donation packages, each containing water, snacks, fruit, and drink mixes for energy and vitamin C.

Each care package given out on this donation run included water and several other food and nutrition items, all within a resealable bag.

An example care package that was donated on a June 2022 donation — Each care package given out on this donation run included water and several other food and nutrition items, all within a resealable bag.

We also took the time to approach the homeless on the streets, trying to engage in courteous and genuine conversation with them to understand them as individuals. For those who agreed, we also captured pictures and videos.

Those who joined us on our donation run gave us new insights into homelessness, with one participant describing it as “eye-opening” and “humbling”. It also reinforced the goals that first motivated our executive team to dedicate themselves to the organization.

Two members from Blankets for T.O. approach homeless individuals on the street to have a brief conversation and make a donation.

Blankets for T.O. approaches a pair of homeless individuals on the street — Two members from Blankets for T.O. approach homeless individuals on the street to have a brief conversation and make a donation.

One executive team member described the experience with the realization that “each homeless individual has faced and continues to face unique challenges mentally, physically, and emotionally. Homelessness is not a small issue that can be fixed with some glue. Hence, we, [as] citizens of the country and members of society, need to push for the right homelessness laws and ultimately build a system that caters to individual needs in order to eradicate this issue.”

Another wrote that “joining BTO and participating in this donation was an opportunity for me to do something, to get out there and bring attention to a crisis that has become far too normalized within our society. This will not solve all problems, but the more people see homelessness as a human rights issue and not something they ‘did to themselves,’ the more chances we have of creating long-term and lasting change.”

See below for some of our photos from that day. Follow us on social media in the coming weeks for videos! We encourage our general members to join us on these donation runs in the future to take part in this enriching experience.