Round 1 Recap
We wanted to thank everyone for their support as we launched our organization! It’s been very encouraging to have people reach out to our team throughout the past two weeks and ask how they can help, and also to see our friends and families share our initiative.
We especially wanted to thank our first round of donors—we managed to raise $1,000 online in under 72 hours, and we reached our $1,500 goal for the first round of donations in one week. This could not have been possible without your generous giving.
Due to the time-sensitive nature of their needs, we’ll be donating funds raised in “rounds” so that food banks can receive the food resources they need as soon as possible.
Why We Started The Fundraiser
We started this fundraiser to respond to the most pressing need in our communities. The amount of funds we raise is important to maximize the tangible impact we can create—but even more valuable is the impact this initiative has on motivating and empowering young people to take action against the effects of poverty during this crisis. Already, we can see the results of this based on the amount of individuals and organizations that have reached out to us since our launch.
Our first round was featured on Hamilton News, which you can take a look at here:
The Food Bank: Neighbour 2 Neighbour
Neighbour to Neighbour Centre has helped Hamiltonians in need for over 30 years. From our emergency food bank to educational and family supports to our Community Food Centre, Neighbour to Neighbour uses preventative measures and strategies to alleviate the burden of poverty
in Hamilton.
Neighbour to Neighbour Centre (N2N) is located in the Rolston community, a low-income area that is home to a diverse group ethnic backgrounds. N2N offers emergency food support to 1,200 families (3,500 individuals) for the surrounding neighbourhoods per month during normal times. After the start of the COVID-19 lockdowns, the number of families in need have increased drastically.
N2N’s community focus and commitment to an improved, well-rounded quality of life means that it goes beyond providing emergency food services. It also provides educational support to the community through a reading program and a math learning program, along with family services that include community and financial counselling. It is the type of organization our communities really need, focused on helping participants not just on a day-to-day basis, but for their future success as well.
How We Made An Impact
We first connected with Denise at N2N to find out more about their local food bank and the communities they serve. After collecting the first round of donation funds, we worked with Denise to identify which food items N2N needed the most. Since N2N was short of manpower and distribution capabilities due to the recent decline in volunteers, we then purchased these food items wholesale from the local Walmart Supercentre, and delivered it personally to the food bank.
The fundraiser started on Friday, March 27 and continued over the next week. We received over $1,000 in online donations in under 72 hours, and reached our $1,500 goal on April 3. Within this first round, our initiative was featured on Hamilton News, where we were able to talk about our organization and how the fundraiser accomplishes two goals: to help food banks in need, and to motivate youth to take action in a crisis.
Operation Poverty 