COVID-19 Urgent Response Fund
Supports Indigenous Community in Toronto
With great donor support during the COVID-19 pandemic, Anishnawbe Health has been able to quickly address the needs of Toronto’s Indigenous Community. To-date the COVID-19 Urgent Response Fund has raised over $150,000 and has allowed us to offer more support for this vulnerable community and ensure they stay as healthy as possible. “I feel so much better since I got started with phone counselling with @Anishnawbe Health. People who need these services must feel so lost, so I am happy that they are reaching out to do phone counselling. My level of anxiety has already dropped majorly. Miigwetch!” – Tweet from AHT Client Virtual outreach is just one of the ways that Anishnawbe Health Toronto staff are helping clients during the pandemic. The Health Centre remains open to serve clients and, thanks to generous donors to our COVID-19 Urgent Response Fund, the team is able to offer more support for this vulnerable community to ensure the community stays as healthy as possible. Chris Pike, Aboriginal Mental Health & Addictions Program “Thank you for the grocery gift cards you donated for groceries. When I again looked at the cards during the middle of the night, tears came to my eyes at the true kindess shown. The cards will be well used and thanks again for the graciousness shown.” – Card from AHT 76-year-old Client, Over the last two months, Anishnawbe Health has been able to provide 830 food hampers and grocery gift cards to our most vulnerable clients during the COVID-19 emergency. Clients chose between a one-time $150 gift card or a food hamper delivery every other week for 6 weeks (extended to 8 weeks because of a generous donation of 100 hampers from our food partner The Lunch Lady). In addition, the hampers included healthy recipes from dieticians at Anishnawbe Health, soap and other donated personal hygiene products, washable masks donated by The Mask Initiative and dream catcher making kits for Youth program members put together by the Oshkii program leaders. Cherie Brant, Anishnawbe Health Foundation Vice-Chair and Eric Lavers “Thank you so much for all your help, especially with all this isolation. I looked forward to seeing people I could say a few words too. It really brightened my day☀And being included when I felt alone meant so much ❤” – Email from AHT Client On June 1, Anishnawbe Health launched the “Mobile Healing” RV to the community. The RV is bringing COVID-19 testing capability to the Indigenous homeless living rough on the streets of Toronto. Services in addition to COVID-19 testing, also provide primary health care, wound care, rapid access to housing and supports, mental health and addiction supports/referrals and emergency supplies. We are also very grateful to have received several PPE Donations, including non-medical and surgical masks, exam gloves and hand sanitizer, donated to the Foundation by donors for staff, volunteers and clients. We would like to thank all of our supporters who have contributed to this campaign. If you would like to learn more, make a donation or to see a list of our donors please visit www.supportanishnawbe.ca/covid19update 
