Toronto baker shocked at treatment of homeless in encampments and vows to help
One bakery in Toronto is serving up more than just delicious baked goods when they made an announcement this week over social media that their team will redirecting 10 per cent of all sales into buying food and water for those in encampments across the city.
Little Sister Baking has made philanthropy part of their business model, having previously gotten involved with non-profits such as FoodShare, The 519, Parkdale Community Food Bank and even international charities such as Bondh E Shams that provides drinking water to the Middle East.
The two sisters who run Little Sister Baking frequently pass by Alexandra Park and see first hand the peaceful way people there are living. After hearing of even more evictions from encampments, they decided that something needed to be done.
"The tipping point was...seeing the police and the city so violently taking away what little these people have, almost treating them like they're not even human," Tanvi Swar of Little Sister Baking told blogTO.
"These are people who are disenfranchised and we need to treat them with care."
The team often takes leftover food they have at the end of the day and delivers it to the people at encampments. One day while doing so, one of the people living there asked if they had any water which caused a heartbreaking realisation.
"It didn't hit me until that point that the state for these folks is so bad they don't even have access to water," Swar said.
"It's such a basic thing, Canada has so much fresh water. We're privileged enough to turn on a tap and have a drink if we want to. It's crazy that people in such a wealthy country don't have access to just water."
As a result, they've begun using 10 per cent of sales to help buy water and food to supply to those who need it most. For two sisters who walk past these encampments nearly every day, it was seen as a way they could help an issue that literally hits close to home.
Hector Vasquez
