February 11. Join Me for FeedTO and Give Where You Live.

I am one person, what can I do?

This is a really important question and is asked a lot by people that want to make a difference and create positive change, but aren’t sure how or where to start. It’s something that I have asked myself more times than I can remember throughout this journey that I’ve been on since I was nine years old.

I am answering this question on February 11th, 2019 with the launch of the 2nd FeedTO.

I am so excited to hit the streets of Toronto with FeedTO for a new day of giving on February 11th 2019 – Monday on the week of Valentines Day – the week of love and coming together. FeedTO grew out of the notion that giving back starts close to home and that to strengthen our communities, we need to give where we live. In recognizing that it takes more than just food to help someone in need and experiencing homelessness, so here are my objectives for FeedTO this year:

1. Distribute 100 care-packages to people experiencing homelessness in Toronto. I am so grateful to have partnered with incredible companies who believe in the same thing I do – give where you live. The care-packages will include a $10 Gift Card for Subway (enough to purchase a full meal, thank you Subway), granola bars (thank you KIND Snacks), gloves (thank you A&W), socks (thank you Canadian Tire), dog food as needed (thank you PetSmart), toothbrushes and toothpaste (thank you, my dentist, Dr. Sheldon Rotman), homemade cookies and sandwiches (me and my family) and more.
2. Use social media. I love that at the touch of our fingertips, we can share what we’re passionate about and what we’re doing. Social media’s presence in our lives has only grown since my first FeedTO in 2015 (hello Instagram and Snapchat) and you know that I’m going to use it as an opportunity to showcase the power of  social media for social good. Naturally, we are using #FeedTO to raise awareness not just about what I’m doing, but also to raise awareness about homelessness AND to inspire other people to carry out similar acts of kindness.
3. Inspire others to give back. The big goal of #FeedTO is to inspire other people to take action and give back in their own community. For other people to see this and say “If she can do it, I can do it too.” Ever since I was nine, my motto has been little things add up to make a big difference. And this remains especially true for this campaign.

So, what can one person do? Something.

The ability to make a difference is in everyone. It doesn’t matter where you live, how much money you have, how old you are, how young you are, how many followers you have or how many likes you get. Everyone can do something.

Homelessness is something that I have seen in every big city I have been to. I know it’s not just a local issue, it is every local’s issue. And while it is on the agenda of every local city council, it is a deeply personal circumstance for each and every person that is out there. FeedTO is about more than recognizing the issue off homelessness – it’s about recognizing the people experiencing it. I cannot give them a bed, a roof over their head or a job, so I am setting out to give them what I can.