LocalLove.ca

“I decided to make masks for my customers at no cost, asking instead that they donate directly to Food Banks Canada, as the need is greater than ever.” —Candice Levine, owner and founder of @thecandifactory untdwy.org/3flIsKs

Folks across the GTA are making thoughtful, useful contributions and showing their love for their communities while we collectively figure out what the “new normal” means. untdwy.org/2zUukrr

“It’s about recognizing that these are our next generation, so we have to support them in learning, support them in doing, but even more importantly, help them understand how valuable they are.” Germaine Elliott, Executive Director, Mamaway Wiidokdaadwin untdwy.org/2Wigmr2

When women are being abused, no one, naturally, is thinking about their pets. But new research shows that maybe we need to start doing that. untdwy.org/3bPNqNA

Looking for a pick-me-up? Here’s the inspiring story of Aiko Ito, a client intervention worker at United Way agency @dixon_hall who is helping seniors stay housed. untdwy.org/2xdWVaa

Since no one can resist a feel-good animal story (admit it, you cry every time you see one of those dog-and-owner reunion videos!), we’ve rounded up three amazing animal tales to share. untdwy.org/2KCgewQ

“It fractures us and pulls us apart, so that eventually you get to a point where people who live in the same places have completely different life experiences.” —Laura McDonough, @UWGreaterTO untdwy.org/2S5vUwP

As the COVID-19 crisis continues, the gap between those who are doing well, and those who aren’t, is widening, with low-income workers being driven further into poverty and precarity—or into potentially health-threatening work situations. untdwy.org/3bCcCa3

“We have the resources to solve homelessness, but we must first see it as an abhorrent problem and then have the will to do something about it.” —Clovis Grant, @360kids_york untdwy.org/34WG9cc

“If we’re waiting until young people become homeless and then we intervene, we’ve waited too long. The longer they’re homeless, the worse their outcomes.” —Clovis Grant, @360kids_york untdwy.org/2S0KUfy

“Shoes are like this mode of conversation. If I give [a youth] a pair they actually like, they just understand that we speak the same language.” —Jamal Burger untdwy.org/2yz211e

“When communities are transformed by investment, it is critical that those who know the neighbourhood best—those living there—are able to influence the neighbourhood’s future direction.” —Alex Dow, @UWGreaterTO untdwy.org/2VsuQp5

“We know that as neighbourhoods gentrify, they can lose their local character, and sometimes the history of the area gets buried under the ‘new’.”—Alex Dow, @UWGreaterTO untdwy.org/2VKKjQ5

Everyday activities, such as lovingly helping your child put on his shoes, inviting friends over to share a meal, showing kindness toward animals and even displaying patience when answering annoying calls from telemarketers are all teachable moments. untdwy.org/2Kd1XXl

Most people associate service dogs with visual impairment, but these highly trained animals can also change the lives of kids with autism—and their families. untdwy.org/3bh21RI

“We’re trying to empower families to know they can make decisions—and to make them. We give them evidence and information in a way that they can understand, so they can advocate for themselves.” —Gillian Cullen untdwy.org/3ac6O5y

“Someone who volunteered to be an ambassador for a bowling team in Peel told me she learned more about being a human in that week than she learned in the first 30 years of her life.” untdwy.org/2xiGcCR

“I see too much hostility and anger; while I can understand that it’s part of our world, I content myself with ensuring I do good for other people to counteract that.” —Winston LaRose, a.k.a. Mr. Jane and Finch untdwy.org/2RxKYmQ

The Burrito Project’s mission? Combating hunger “by any beans necessary.” Check out our inspiring profile of this grassroots initiative from last summer! untdwy.org/2Vkpc7e

A few months ago we joined Sureya Ibrahim, @TorontoCLD’s supervisor of community connections, for an inspiring—and dizzying—jam-packed working day. Find out how this inspiring changemaker gets things done! untdwy.org/2RvEgxE