Toronto Homeless Helping Heroes 'Paid Forward' by Generous Contest Winner
JUST IN TIME FOR XMAS, CAROL & CREW GETS A HELPING HAND
TORONTO, Dec. 16, 2020 /CNW/ - For close to four years, Carol Cooper and her charitable organization 'Carol & Crew' have quietly acted as guardian angles for Toronto's homeless distributing hot meals toiletries, blankets, pillows, tents, and clothing on the street.
A difficult year to give back:
Always a badly needed service for the city, Carol & Crew is more taxed than ever this year. The reality is that during COVID-19, donations are significantly down from financially taxed Torontonians.
This week, and just in time for Christmas, Carol & Crew was awarded a $10K donation by contest-winning Torontonian Shelley Lipski as the grand prize of a national pay-it-forward contest held by Toronto-based restauranteurs The Burger's Priest.
Asked why she chose to support Carol & Crew with the donation, Lipski said "Carol is a hard-working person who cares about the vulnerable people of Toronto out on the streets. She looks at them with compassion, not judgement, and tries to help them as best she can with the necessities of life. Carol is a volunteer; she doesn't get paid to help them. That is a rare type of person indeed."
The giveaway 'giveaway' contest was held by The Burger's Priest, a classic Toronto cheeseburger joint, as part of their 10th anniversary celebrations. The winner was chosen from over 1200 applications (in ten days) for the $10k prize. The contest came with a major twist, the winner couldn't keep the prize themselves and had to pay it forward to the most deserving person, charity or small business. Paying it forward seemed like the best way to celebrate the company milestone during COVID-19 when many Canadians and many Canadian businesses are suffering.
"We were blown away by the number of entries and passion that Canadians have to pay-it-forward," said Alex Rechichi, President and CEO of Crave It Restaurants. "We're very proud to be able to support our winner Shelley in supporting such an important charity as Carol & Crew. It's one of those small charities quietly doing incredible work that deserves a lot of credit for the difference that they are making every week."
In addition to being able to support the charity of their choice with the $10k prize, the contest winner also won free The Burger's Priest burgers for a year.
A hard time for Toronto's homeless:
According to Cooper, this has been a particularly difficult year for the city's homeless. Since COVID-19 broke out, there are many more people sleeping in tents – many of whom have been forced out of their homes due to lost jobs.
"Receiving donations for those we serve means the world to me personally and to our charity," said Carol Cooper, Founder of Carol & Crew. "It is amazing to see how supportive the community has been in helping us to provide for those in need. We are incredibly grateful for any donations we receive, regardless of how big or small."
Cooper says that the $10k donation will be used for purchasing food, drinks and supplies to meet the needs of the people they serve. It will also help those who are moving off the streets and into public housing by purchasing household supplies.
For more information on Carol & Crew please visit their Facebook page here or their Instagram at Carolandcrew_
SOURCE The Burger''s Priest
For further information: Patrick McCaully, Pointman News Creation, [email protected]
Share this article