HAND UP TORONTO ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH VAUGHAN MILLS SHOPPING CENTRE (IVANHOE CAMBRIDGE)

Hand Up for Kids was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects it has on low income families with children that rely on school food programs to stay fed. It aims to help provide healthy grocery care packages to families in need during these times of uncertainty. By partnering with Vaughan Mills to set up a drive-thru pick-up operation, HUT is able to provide grocery care packages to more families in need in a more efficient manner. To scale operations to reach the 17,000+ families in need, this optimized model enables HUT to reach 180 families per hour in a safe and contactless manner. Families will be notified via email with directions on how to pick-up their grocery meal packages. With a small team, a data-driven approach has been crucial to maximizing efficiency and output to get these grocery care packages to those in need.

“We went from a small group of motivated volunteers to instantly scaling up with now over 40 volunteers. We’ve delivered almost 1,000 grocery care packages to families’ door steps in only three weeks of operation. These are tough times for all of us. We’re trying to make a real difference in the lives of many people who unfortunately had nowhere else to turn to. It’s great to look forward and tackle our list of 17,000 families that we are trying tooth and nail to help but we alone cannot solve the problem.” said Raza Rafiq, Chairman of Hands Up Toronto.

Approximately 3.2 million Canadians live below the poverty line – of those 566,000 are children. Food insecurity remains a real problem in our country and is especially true during these times of uncertainty and need. With over 17,000 families registered, HUT and its team of volunteers are working around the clock to secure food and monetary donations to get them to the families in need. Hand Up for Kids’ focus is and continues to be to provide healthy meals to low income households with children and vulnerable youths that are in need. With partnerships like Vaughan Mills, we can all stand together and lend a hand up against food insecurity especially in these times of uncertainty and need.