Why would a Welcome Group decide to extend their match past six months?

When 20-year-old Manuela learned about Together Project, little did she know that this would lead to a nine months of social connections with four volunteers who would help her settle into her new life, show her around Toronto, and become some of her first friends in Canada.

For more about this Welcome Group, check out this interview with Manuela and two of her Welcome Group members, Hanna and Jessica!

Aya moved to Canada from China where she was a refugee after the Syrian war started. She’s a student advocate, speaker, artist, and a past refugee newcomer participant in our Welcome Group Program. Together Project matched her with a group of young women who helped her based on the priorities that she wanted to focus on.

Check out her video here!

In Toronto, Mississauga, Ottawa, and Surrey BC, two free apps are providing innovative options for low-cost food: Flashfood and Too Good to Go.

To explain how refugee newcomers and volunteers who are seeking low-cost food in their neighbourhoods can use these apps, we spoke with Together Project volunteer Sue Anderson.

As an avid user of Flashfood and Too Good to Go, Sue is eager to share these opportunities with others. “I’m always trying to save money, and these are great!” she said.

For more, click here!

With the coming winter weather, many Welcome Group Program newcomers are seeking community resources to keep them warm and nourished. We’ve made a list of food banks and clothing banks currently accepting clients in Central Toronto, East York, Etobicoke, Mississauga, North York, Scarborough, Ottawa, and Vancouver.

With food banks offering free delivery, online food banks that allow clients to select items in advance, and an organization that gives free snowsuits to children, and two free apps that promote low-cost food, we’ve found a wealth of resources to share. Check it out here!

After arriving in Toronto with her husband and four children, Mary* was anxious about learning how to navigate her new home after leaving the refugee welcome centre.

“We didn’t know anyone who could guide us and give helpful information. We couldn’t ask anyone for information about where to go. When we wanted something for myself, for my children, for my family– we didn’t have someone who could give us directions,” she said.

When a social worker told her about Together Project, she trusted that this was the answer that her family needed.

As her family settled into their new home in Toronto, having a Welcome Group of volunteers in the neighbourhood felt like a perfect fit.

To read more of Mary’s story, click here!