Volunteers for Toque Tuesday
You might notice red toques being worn throughout London’s homeless community in the cold winter weather. Thanks to Raising the Roof and national Touque Tuesday, the homeless are one step closer to staying warm.
The Event
London community volunteers gathered in Victoria Park this chilly afternoon to first receive greetings from the Mayor, then freely deliver 200 red toques to homeless-serving organizations around the city.
“There are still far too many people living in London who don’t have a place to call home. One person is too many,” said Mayor Matt Brown who launched the volunteer event.
Raising the Roof‘s Toque Tuesday campaign is supported by Unity Project, London CAReS Street Outreach Workers, Paul Davis Systems, Intact Financial and various other organizations throughout London. Some welcoming organizations receiving toques include Mission Services, Salvation Army, Regional HIV/AIDS Connection, My Sisters Place, and Unity Project to name a few.
Is London Homelessness an Issue?
Lisa Flood is one of the volunteers from the event. She says she’s noticed homeless numbers growing, especially in the downtown core, and believes the community should do more to support those without homes.
Matt Brown greeting Toque Tuesday volunteers
“It’s definitely evident that it’s a problem, unfortunately, and especially in days like today when it’s freezing out, I think these people need all the help they can get.”
Graham Holdsworth is another event volunteer and says the community needs to work together to end homelessness.
“Everyone needs a home to stay, especially when it’s this cold out in Canada. Even just walking around, you can see that people need the support,” says Graham, “nobody wants to see someone sleeping in the snow.”
To date Raising the Roof has generated almost $4 million for local Partner Agencies working towards long-term solutions to homelessness. This year, they’re working to support 235,000+ Canadians without a home.
Raising the Roof PSA:
