United like never before
An inspiring combination of resilience, collaboration and generosity is overcoming long-standing challenges exacerbated by pandemic
“What’s for dessert?” one greyhaired diner asks, his mouth crinkling into a grin as he picks up a takeout container and thanks a masked volunteer at the AccessPoint On Danforth (APOD) community hub.
Word of the quip soon elicits chuckles from other volunteers and APOD staff involved in the Food with Dignity program, which pivoted to a takeout format in March after the COVID-19 pandemic forced its seated indoor meal service to shut down.
Since then, APOD’s multipurpose dining room has been put to very good use as a prep area for nutritious hot meals that have become too numerous to assemble in the building’s compact kitchen. Before the pandemic, Food with Dignity served between 60 to 80 people each Friday. Now, with urgent need spiking like never before, it provides more than160 meals four times a week and has expanded to AccessPoint’s Jane Street location.
Like thousands of other programs across the GTA, Food with Dignity’s timely transition would not have been possible without quick action by United Way Greater Toronto (UWGT). First, the region’s largest nongovernmental supporter of community services provided flexible funding to its front-line community agencies so they could work and deliver services in safe, socially distanced ways.
Next came the launch of the $2.1-million Local Love Fund, an emergency initiative that continues to bridge critical gaps in community services by supporting almost 200 local projects. And since August, UWGT has been efficiently distributing $15.6 million from the federal Emergency Community Support Fund (ECSF).
“The United Way has supported our organization and our clients throughout this crisis,” says APOD manager Rejwan Karim. “It played an instrumental role in our ECSF application, which will allow us to continue Food with Dignity beyond January 2021.”
This transition from surviving to thriving presents a prime example of how a potent mix of resilience, collaboration and generosity is overcoming longstanding societal challenges that have been exacerbated by “the greatest crisis in living memory,” as UWGT president and CEO Daniele Zanotti describes it.
“As COVID-19 evolves and lays bare the fault lines of poverty and sharpens the divisions between those who have and have not, we are finding strength where we always have: in our generous donors and supporters, in government and civic leaders, in our corporate, community and labour partners, and in our regional agency network,” he says.
Agencies step up
In addition to the 280 United Way agencies combating issues such as poverty, homelessness, mental health and social, economic and racial inequity, 60 have been mobilized for the first time during the pandemic. Likewise, more than 60 per cent of the organizations receiving ECSF dollars were not previously funded by the United Way.
“By getting this much-needed funding out to the people and places that need it the most, we are working hand-in-hand with the community to ensure those who have been most impacted by this crisis continue to have the support they need, close to home,” says Zanotti.
The scale of this mobilization reflects the intensity and urgency of need. People experiencing homelessness, for instance, face new risks and vulnerabilities such as limited access to services and safe housing, isolation and deteriorating mental health. These risks are especially acute for women in abusive situations and transgender, Black and Indigenous people.
Thankfully, unprecedented challenges have yielded unprecedented results. More than 1,570 people experiencing homelessness, for instance, were housed between March and August. This 50 per cent increase over the same period last year, combined with new transportation, screening and recovery programs, is being widely credited with limiting the spread of COVID-19.
“Innovating and strengthening our relationships on the ground are the most viable ways to bolster our communities and our network in this environment,” says Zanotti, pointing to the myriad virtual neighbourhood and regional tables that are working with government and local agencies to administer emergency funds.
In York Region, for instance, the 360°kids program is convening a table of more than 30 people, including service providers and youth, to develop coordinated interventions for youth homelessness prevention. 360°kids has already made significant inroads with the innovative Nightstop program, which places young people in safe, caring homes provided by vetted and approved volunteers.
Volunteers step up
When the pandemic struck, Food with Dignity volunteer Teresa Walsh found strength in an unusual place: among the herbs, peppers, tomatoes and collard greens grown in APOD’s rooftop garden.
The longtime United Way donor was looking to get more actively involved in the community when her employer, Toronto-Dominion Bank, hosted a tour of APOD in 2013. Food with Dignity turned out to be “a better fit than I ever expected,” says Walsh, with Karim adding that she has “stepped up big time” since March.
As well as feeling “needed and appreciated,” Walsh’s own wellbeing has benefited from the program. “Now that I’m working from home, it gives me a reason to get out of the house,” she says while adding savoury chicken thighs to containers filled with rice and salad. “Whether I’m learning about Moroccan spice rubs or gathering vegetables in the beautiful garden, working with this amazing group has been great for my mental health.”
Thousands of other volunteers across UWGT’s network have stepped up in similar fashion, with various organizations working together to deploy them where they’re needed most. “I have never doubted volunteers’ and donors’ capacity to care,” says Zanotti. “It’s what gives us hope and confidence as we respond to spiking urgent needs and steel ourselves for the long, difficult road ahead.”
Donors step up
Whether giving gifts directly or in honour of loved ones, GTA donors have long recognized the United Way for its operational efficiency and diligence, with 84 cents of every dollar making it to people in need.
“We’ve always been the most effective and efficient way to help, and this speed and precision are especially important now,” says Zanotti. “No single organization can solve all the issues facing our communities, so we’ve got to be super-intentional in how dollars are directed in order to build on our history of success.”
With Imagine Canada reporting a 35 per cent increase in demand for services across the charitable sector and with key fundraising events such as the CN Tower climb cancelled, a growing number of individual and corporate donors are also recognizing that extra challenges call for extra generosity.
“The fact that 60 per cent of our 2020 donations have come from first-time donors speaks to the spirit of neighbours supporting neighbours that makes the GTA so special,” says Zanotti, adding that this trend is also being reflected among new corporate sponsors.
The 407 ETR Concession Co. Ltd., for instance, became the first United Way corporate partner in Canada to commit to a multi-year investment that addresses the long-term impact of the COVID-19 crisis on families. “We are extremely grateful for the outstanding support of our donors’ time, energy and financial contributions. This is the engine that drives our work, the muscle that we flex to make our community stronger,” says Zanotti.
At the same time, Zanotti is keenly aware that many United Way donors are facing pandemic-related financial challenges of their own. That’s one of the reasons UWGT is embarking on a $105-million campaign to sustain its annual investment in community at this critical time.
As he has for nearly a decade, Jay Vyas is contributing to that spend. After being introduced to the United Way through a workplace campaign, his initial skepticism evaporated when individuals whose lives had been transformed by the organization’s efforts shared their personal stories.
“It’s easy to look at people who appear to be down on their luck and say, ‘they need to work harder,’ and just walk right past them without a second thought,” says Vyas. “But when you’re struggling with mental illness or abuse or racism, or you lost your job because of COVID-19, none of that is your fault. You’re a victim of circumstance. So when people shared how the United Way network helped them escape from incredibly difficult circumstances — drug addiction, homelessness, domestic violence, you name it — I just had to get involved.”
Vyas’ involvement quickly snowballed into a workplace fundraising leadership role that showed him just how efficient the United Way is with donations.
“As a well-compensated employee, it felt like I was playing a zero-cost, zero-effort role,” he says. “What amazed me most was how my role was amplified by being focused where the need is greatest.”
In the last year, Vyas’ role has changed. Having left his job to pursue his passion for guitar, Vyas finds himself in a less favourable financial position than in past years. But this won’t stop him from stepping up as best he can. “Small businesses are shutting down and people are losing their jobs. There’s a real human toll to this pandemic. So the need for the kind of community-level work that the United Way does is greater than ever. If you’re ever going to be extra generous, this is the year.”
Zanotti, for his part, is doing all he can to amplify that message. “Research has long shown that the GTA is the income inequality, child poverty and housing unaffordability capital of Canada. Now we’re layering COVID on top,” he says.
“When the pandemic finally passes, we don’t want to look back and say, ‘What’s happened to our city and our region? Where has the social infrastructure gone? Where was I when this place I love needed me to step up? Having the civic courage to support the vulnerable provides wonderful answers to these questions: Our city is thriving. Social infrastructure is stronger than ever. And I made a difference.”