In addition to my post about animal rescues, here are people-oriented places you should give all your money for the holidays. I’ve worked with or referred people to a lot of these. My friends have used them. Sometimes when you hear people from other agencies (and sometimes your own) talk about their clients you start to think they should just go be bankers or something instead. This has never happened with anyone I met from these places, they are great. They’re important:
Community Association for Riding for the Disabled
The Stop Community Food Centre - you can go to fancy dinners in a greenhouse AND be a good person at the same time!
Companion Animal Wellness Foundation
Silver Circle: West Toronto Services for Seniors
Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic - their interpreter services alone are so impressive.
Salvation Army Toronto Grace Health Centre
Toronto Symphony Orchestra - you can go to open rehearsals and take tours of their music library! They run music programmes for kids and generally make Toronto much more worthwhile.
Soulpepper Theater Company - they do youth outreach and artist development. They are also the best theatre company in the city by far even though they have the least comfortable seats.
Also, when people move from shelter (or wherever else they are coming from) to new housing they usually need new mattresses. Mattresses are expensive. Consider donating specifically for this purpose. Bedbug mattress covers and vacuum cleaners for bedbug prevention are also really helpful. The maximum OW community start-up benefit is only $799 for a single person and it doesn’t go very far.
