For this week’s Charitable Choices we spoke with the good people of Toronto non-profit Project Good Karma about their very noble and specific goal.
Describe your charity/non-profit/work in a few sentences.
Project Good Karma was founded in January of 2021 with a goal to provide 10,000 meals to those in need. To date we have provided 585 meals with shelters in the city of Toronto, St. Felix Centre, Youth Without Shelter, and Horizons 4 Youth. We are a grassroots volunteer run group with many of the meals funded by ourselves or donations we receive from family and friends. We have also recently started a Go Fund Me page to allow more people to get involved in our initiative.
What problem does it aim to solve?
Project Good Karma is looking to help decrease the scarcity around food in this city. The pandemic has dramatically increased the levels of food insecurity amongst our community members and have also impacted the donations normally received by shelters. Many shelters had to stop volunteer programs that would normally have volunteers come in and help cook meals for the clients at the shelters. With our program we are hoping that we can help decrease this anxiety around food that shelters may experience by even a little.
When did you start/join it?
Project Good Karma came to be in January 2021.
What made you want to get involved?
We feel that no one should be without food. Giving back is something we have done for years on our own. A few of our family and friends were also interested in getting involved so we decided to start a community. 2020 was a hard year for most of us but even harder for those who relied on food services provided throughout the city and we wanted to do our part however we could to help.
What was the situation like when you started?
As the months passed in 2020 we noticed there were a lot more people on the streets than normal. A lot of the places where people would normally pass by for a warm meal were now closed due to Covid, so those on the streets didn’t have a warm place where they could access their meals.
How has it changed since?
Due to Covid, the amount of people relying on meal programs and services has increased due to job losses caused by the pandemic. Many more are now relying on meals provided by shelters to help them. St. Felix Centre allocates 5-10 meals per meal time (breakfast, lunch, dinner) to visitors they may receive at their gates.
What more needs to be done?
We feel more funding needs to be put into programs for those in need to be able to access meals and not have to fear when/if they will eat next.
How can our readers help?
If you have a passion for cooking, you can reach out to our team and sponsor a meal for any of our upcoming dates. You can also get your family and friends involved by cooking meals or raising funds. We have been working with a few local restaurants and are happy they are willing to help. We currently set up a Go Fund Me page, we are accepting monetary donations if you would like to help fund upcoming meals supplies and ingredients.
Do you have any events coming up?
We have a few meals planned per month. All of our upcoming meals can be found on our website www.projectgoodkarma.com.
Where can we follow you?
@projectgoodkarma on Instagram
PAY IT FORWARD: What is an awesome local charity that you love?
We work very closely with those at St.Felix Centre and Youth Without Shelter, two amazing organizations that help our community members have access to shelter, food, and programs that help them develop and plan for their future.
