Part of the SFC’s mandate involves inspiring the next generation of young leaders and activists and instilling them with a charitable spirit.
In 2017, nearly 100 deaths were recorded among Toronto’s homeless population. As a result, in Summer 2018, the SFC’s youth committee decided to help Toronto’s homeless population by distributing food.
Through this youth-led initiative, volunteers held a bake sale with treats they made themselves and at their own cost. In total, they raised $300. From those funds and through individually donated items, volunteers prepared 150 packages of snacks. Near the Maxwell Meighen Centre, a shelter located in downtown Toronto, volunteers distributed snack packages to the homeless – serving over 100 people in a single day.
As a result of that success, the youth committee has distributed over 150 brown bag snacks every year to the Maxwell Meighen Centre. In addition to this community-based shelter, the SFC has donated food to the Good Shepherd Ministries in 2019 and 2021, the Covenant House in 2021, as well as the Daily Food Bank and the Fort York Food Bank in 2022.
Following the success of the Feeding the Homeless Project in Summer 2018, the SFC’s youth committee decided to hold a toy drive for sick children in Toronto.Funds to purchase the toys were once again collected through a youth-led bake sale, where volunteers contributed baked goods they made themselves and at their own cost. Volunteer groups spent 4 hours in December 2018 selling treats in two separate locations. In total, $750 was raised.
All youth committee members were involved in purchasing the toys. The first bundle of toys was delivered to SickKids Toronto in January 2019. Two months later, the second set of toys was given to children treated at Etobicoke General Hospital. 40 toys were delivered in total – 20 in each location. Nurses then distributed the toys to the children.
Given the particularly positive reception received at Etobicoke General Hospital, which is often overlooked for charitable donations,the youth committee will likely continue this project each Winter and look to expand into other regional hospitals within Ontario.
