Special COVID-19-Related Needs
In these challenging times, our affiliate partners and other organizations have needs that you can help meet.
ADAM HOUSE
Assemble and donate fruit baskets to the residents to help sustain and encourage them
Grace team continues to send weekly fruit packages to residents in Adam House and Adam House North
Each package contains an apple, a tangerine, an orange and a Bible verse of encouragement
Individuals or GGs can help by committing to a single week, or joining the regular rotation
GGs needed who are interested in sponsoring meals on Tuesday
Tuesday Bible Fun Time has now moved online and this has enabled Adam House North to participate as well
Adam House is looking for GGs to sponsor meals for either or both houses
Adam House Downtown has 13 adults, 6 children and 3 babies
Adam House North has 8 adults, 2 children and 2 babies
If you are interested, please contact the Executive Director, Lucy Chaimiti, directly at lchaimiti@adamhouse.org or 416-522-6310
Scotiabank Marathon is cancelled this year due to COVID-19, but the Charity Challenge is still on
Help support Adam House here (link)
For questions and more information, contact Tim and Danyao at https://bit.ly/GraceAHTeam
GOOD SHEPHERD
Volunteers needed to help make 800+ sandwiches per day and have them delivered to the drop-in at 412 Queen Street East between 8:30 am-4:00 pm
Drop off donations at back door of the centre, located off Sydenham Street. Go north on Tracy Street from Queen – the first stop sign is Sydenham and make a left and then the first left is the driveway to the back of Good Shepherd.
Need food supplies including mayonnaise, mustard, cheese slices, packaged snacks (eg. granola bars, cookies, potato chips, dried fruit), portable fruit (eg. apples, oranges, bananas), canned tuna and meat, peanut butter and jam, juice boxes, bottled water, ground coffee, and tea.
Need supplies for the medical clinic including hand sanitizer, alcohol swabs, Imodium, Benylin, Reactine, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, Vicks VapoRub, Polysporin, and Visine.
Good Shepherd also accepts monetary contributions.
LIGHT PATROL
Monetary support needed to make takeout food packages for street youth
Light patrol is still going out on outreach across the city to serve the hidden homeless
Needed items to support outreach:
10 pairs of sweatpants in medium and large sizes
For youth we recently connected with who are sleeping outside
Cases of bottled water
Men’s and women’s underwear in medium and large sizes
Grocery gift cards (Sobeys or Loblaws/President’s Choice)
PREGNANCY CARE CENTRE
Needed items for new mothers/parents:
Clothing, diapers (sizes 1,2,3), wipes, and formula
Deliver items to 15 Hove Street, Suite 100, North York, ON M3H 4Y8 - Bathurst & Sheppard
To make an online donation to support the work of the PCC, please visit https://pccfriends.ca/donations/ (link)
SAFE FAMILIES
Donation of a sofa or sectional for a young single mom who has had to move out of her apartment during this pandemic
Help needed to clean carpets for single mom before her newborn arrives
Other needed items:
double stroller
child-sized bed (for 4-year-old)
clothing for a baby girl (4+ months)
pack and play
shoes (girl's size 13 for a 7-year-old, men's size 10 and 10.5 for 13- and 15-year-olds)
Donations needed to provide groceries for Toronto moms who are unable to go out, bring their little ones to the grocery safely, or who cannot afford groceries during this time
Donation link: safefamiliescanada.com/donate/
SANCTUARY
Our community is made up of people who are homeless, marginally-housed, street-involved, and poor, many of whom are living lives on the margins because of larger systems of oppression and injustice. Prior to Covid-19, there were already many gaps in resources for this community; many of these gaps and lacks have been amplified and exacerbated during this pandemic.
For ways to help, read this document (link) written by Lorraine, an outreach worker at Sanctuary.
YONGE STREET MISSION (YSM)
Donations of butchered meat, chicken legs, thighs, breast, and/or wings, ground beef, as well as frozen meats (chicken fingers, wings, burgers, etc.)
Halal would be best but any meat is greatly appreciated
Donations of men’s underwear (small, medium, large, and x-large), sunscreen (spray bottles), Bibles, paper towels, regular size shampoo, soap, deodorant, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies
Donation Drop-Off
Location: The Davis Centre, 270 Gerrard Street East
Drive to the back of the building into the laneway to the cage
Best drop-off days are Mondays and Wednesdays between 10 am and 3 pm
Contact Zana or receptionist at 416-929-9614 press "0", or email both Zana (zferataj@ysm.ca) and receptionist (receptiondept@ysm.ca)
Encouraging notes needed.
Our community members are struggling with a lot right now, especially isolation. We cannot connect with them in person; however words of encouragement can alleviate some of the stresses they are feeling. We would like to place a note of encouraging words into the hundreds of meal bags we give out every day.
Here is a link for any church member who would like to write an encouraging note to a community member. The note will be printed and placed in a meal bag.
For all monetary donations, please go to www.ysm.ca (link) and donate online, or call 416-929-9614 and press “0” to donate over the phone
For more information contact: mabel@gracetoronto.ca
Affiliate Needs
Our affiliate partners have needs that you can help meet including prayer support. Some of these programs are being temporarily suspended, but prayer is always needed and you should consider how you might serve ongoing needs once Covid-19 has passed.
ADAM HOUSE
Assemble and donate kitchen Start Up Kits (~$120) for residents leaving the house to settle in the community (Mabel has contents details)
Volunteer needed who knows sign language and is willing to help bridge a communication gap over Zoom
A young woman moved into Adam House recently who can only communicate via sign language
PRAYER REQUESTS
Prayer for residents that Adam House be a pitstop on their long journey of asylum-seeking where they can get some rest and care, and meet some new friends who can support them in their journey forward
Prayer for residents who moved out of Adam House, that God put good neighbours into their lives who can help them adjust to life in their new communities
LIGHT PATROL
(Urgent) Drivers needed for some outreach nights on Mondays and Thursdays
Both the RV and the 12-seater health van need drivers
No special license requirements needed; though for the RV, the volunteer should have experience driving RVs (comfortable controlling a large vehicle downtown)
Volunteer to help organize incoming donations
Donate tarps, clothing (e.g. hoodies, warm socks, underwear, long johns), and winter gear (e.g. blankets); or donate money to purchase sleeping bags, waterproof bags
PRAYER REQUESTS
Prayer for new youth to be open to receiving help and that that will lead to building important relationships in their lives
PREGNANCY CARE CENTRE
Volunteers needed -- women to walk alongside expecting mothers, and men to walk alongside soon-to-be fathers
Downtown location (U of T campus)
Tuesday or Thursday; afternoons especially, but evenings work too; once-a-month commitment
Donate baby clothing (contact Mabel for drop off details)
Help expectant and new mothers find suitable housing
PRAYER REQUESTS
Prayer that Saturday outreach will continue to operate, so expecting mothers have the help they need on the weekend
Prayer for pregnant women who are calling and saying that with COVID-19 it is not a good time to have a baby
SAFE FAMILIES
People needed who would be willing to host children in their homes, for a temporary period of time, in order to provide care and respite to parents who are in need of extended family-like support during a difficult time
GGs needed who are willing to be trained through Safe Families to be an extended family-like support for a family in crisis in our city
PRAYER REQUESTS
Prayer for insight, wisdom, and compassion so that staff and volunteers can develop meaningful relationships with every family they serve and that Jesus would be at the centre and direct every relationship He has entrusted to their care
Prayer for God to provide support, comfort, and for the needs of families who struggle in isolation, now more than ever
A few single mothers have been strained from carrying the full burden of parenting without time to recharge; they have been struggling with isolation and anxiety for some time; the pandemic is now compounding these struggles.
Prayer for a spirit of hospitality to grow among churches in the GTA
There has been an increase in referrals of parents not able to receive medical care due to a lack of child care for their children; please continue to pray for volunteers to join the team in both the Host Family and Family Friends roles
Prayer that the right Circle of Care can be placed around every family that needs support
SQUADS
Join program for elementary kids, Thursday evenings
Join youth choir leadership team
PRAYER REQUESTS
Prayer that the Squads Ministry will be able to find a new building, so kids and youth in Regent Park can continue to attend programs in a convenient location
Prayer that during this time of quarantine, leaders and kids can meet together online to study the Bible, that the leaders would deliver the curriculum well and the kids would have the necessary equipment to join
Prayer for wisdom for the leaders who are deciding whether, for the fall, to keep programs online or restart programs in a physical space
TORONTO CITY MISSION
PRAYER REQUESTS
Prayer for families served by TCM
For more information contact: mabel@gracetoronto.ca
New Volunteer Opportunities
FIGHT4FREEDOM
Fight4Freedom is an organization that works in the GTA with women, children and men enslaved in the sex trade. In addition, they offer aftercare, advocacy, and referral support to individuals who are ready and able to transition into alternate work. They are currently recruiting qualified individuals for the following roles:
Street Outreach
Commitment: minimum 1 year, weekly outreach
Outreach time: Fridays from 10:30pm-2:30am (usually it doesn't take up the whole 4 hours)
Through our street outreach ministry, we continue to journey with women in Toronto and Barrie who are involved in sex work and often face challenges related to housing, substance use and mental health. During outreach time, we walk around the neighbourhood where it's known to have sex-work-related activities. We approach individuals with gifts and try to start up conversations. We listen as they share stories about their upbringing, relationships and long-distance parenting. From these stories, the common narrative that often emerges is one of intergenerational trauma perpetuated by cycles of criminalization and structural violence – many share about growing up in foster care, getting recruited into the sex industry, using street drugs to self-medicate, having 3-8 children apprehended due to addictions and then being incarcerated for drug possession. We continue to pray that our relationships with these ladies would allow us to speak truth and hope into the narratives that distort their sense of worth and identity. At a systemic level, both our ministry and survivor care departments are working with community partners to provide survivors and individuals who would like to exit with health support and to develop sustainable employment opportunities.
Club Outreach
Commitment: minimum 1 year, monthly outreach and prayer gathering
Outreach time: one evening a month between Monday to Thursday for outreach; one evening a month for prayer and gift bag preparation; meet up time varies between 7-9pm; each outreach usually is within 3 hours time
Club outreach ministry is the most established outreach ministry within F4F. Each outreach team goes to the same strip club every month. The team approaches a club and asks entry permission from the club manager. Once allowed access, the team will go to the main area and approach individuals working there with gifts and try to start up conversations. We listen as they share stories. Same as street outreach, we continue to pray that our relationships with these ladies would allow us to speak truth and hope into the narratives that distort their sense of worth and identity. At a systemic level, both our ministry and survivor care departments are working with community partners to provide survivors and individuals who would like to exit with various support and to develop sustainable employment opportunities.
NOTE: Volunteers may encounter nudity during outreach
If you are interested, please contact Mabel Lee: mabel@gracetoronto.ca