Mission Statement

Touch of Love is a program of Shining Bright Ministries. Touch of Love's mission is to increase community awareness and alleviate the Toronto homelessness crisis on York University’s campus and Greater Toronto Area. We provide counseling, friendships, articles of clothing, toiletries, food distributions, rehab programs, shelter programs, after school programs, and mission trips. We stand for the Canadian charter of human rights, demonstrated through our genuine love, sincerity, equality, and truth for all mankind.

Touch Of Love (TOL) is York University’s year round help the less fortunate project. TOL was founded in September of 2002. Since then, we have distributed hundreds of pounds of clothing, toiletries, and blankets, plus 1000s of bagged lunches. Our approach focuses not only on the distribution of goods, but also through our genuine conversations and friendships, by giving advice and a listening ear, we have touched many individuals on the street in the process. We have charity Marathons, banquets/concerts, bake and t-shirts sales, and we receive company donations to raise funds to purchase goods. We always welcome donations of any sort!

Who can Volunteer?

All are welcomed to come and participate. We provide priceless volunteer experience, and references upon volunteer’s participation (if requested).

Objectives & Plans

We propose to aid in the relief of their distress by continually preparing healthy meals that are distributed by our members at strategic locations throughout Toronto. Our approach is not to focus only on the distribution of food and other necessary goods (e.g., clothing, blankets, gloves, hats), but also on developing genuine friendships through conversation and counselling. As a result, we hope to continue to touch the lives of many individuals by meeting their physical needs and offering sincere advice and a listening ear. We aspire to hold charity marathons, banquets, concerts, bake sales, and t-shirt sales to raise funds. These events have been successful for us in the past. We anticipate the annual contributions from corporate donations and government bursaries will facilitate the raising of funds to purchase goods and provide ongoing care for the homeless in our community.

Touch of Love has three main goals. First, we seek to eradicate homelessness in Toronto by 2012 through public lobbying, government legislation, and the construction of rehabilitation centers/shelters. Our vision is that these centers will rehabilitate our clients’ physical and mental well-being through health professional services, reintegration of people back into their community, social services, and occupational training. Second, we endeavour to assist single parent families and reduce child poverty in the Jane and Finch corridor through community-based programs including food plans and after school programs. Third, we pledge to aid various ethnic communities in the Greater Toronto Area (e.g., Haitian, Sudan) by working with them to raise funds and organize mission trips to help the people of their homeland. In so doing we provide York University students with invaluable volunteer experience. We accept and encourage all people, and especially York University students and staff, regardless of religious beliefs, to become a member of Touch of Love through their participation in, and dedication to, helping those less fortunate in the Greater Toronto Area. You may feel compelled to help us in all three, or in a subset, of these goals and strategies described.

Furthermore, Touch of Love is a service that can provide the following to yourself or your organization:

  1. A joint volunteer program allowing yourself/colleagues/employees to volunteer (serve food, be available to people seeking a listening ear, distribute clothing and toiletries, participate in recreational programs).
  2. Corporate and/or individual donations.
  3. Corporate advertising.
Proverbs 28:27 He who gives to the poor will not lack