A personal summary of our experience during the COVID-19 Pandemic as featured in the community newspaper The Bridge earlier this October.
Building Roots has always been committed to cultivating vibrant and resilient communities. COVID-19 put that mission to the test – on March 12, 2020, everything changed.
Having to think fast, we used past insights and input from the communities we serve and set in motion a slew of new programs and partnerships.
All programming aimed at three specific goals: providing food for the most vulnerable in our community; offering at-home educational and recreational resources for children, families and seniors in need; and ensuring access to vital information about COVID-19 and government supports that they would not otherwise have received.
We quickly connected with residents, partner agencies, community leaders and volunteers to achieve these goals. With gratitude, great learning and even greater collaborations, in the first 25 weeks of Community Helping Community, together we accomplished:
6000+ food bags of fresh and local produce, non-perishable staples, and delicious meals and treats distributed to 300 households;
500+ activity kits procured and distributed to children and families, as well as 1000+ books and colouring books with works of local artists, with a focus on promoting mental health;
200 Veg2Grow Kits for Kids to families in Downtown East Toronto, so children could learn how to grow food safely from their homes;
25+ socially distanced performances by Black, Indigenous, women, people of colour and LGBTQQIP2SAA+ musical artists and dance performers. We worked with community members to animate public space so everyone could safely enjoy the summer.
Thank you to everyone who supported us, funded our projects, volunteered, donated or otherwise cheered us on through this incredible show of community spirit the past few months.
These have not been easy times for anyone … thank you for being part of our story of hope.
Read our whole Story of Hope at buildingroots.ca/a-story-of-hope-covid-19 .
