Downtown Toronto residents are clearing closets and feeding children

Textile Waste Diversion’s bin was placed in P1 of 225 Wellesley East, where bagged items can be deposited. The good people at Textile Waste Diversion will come periodically and weigh the clothing. Every pound of clothing will generate a donation to Mary’s Meals Canada.

Mary's Meals sets up school feeding programs in some of the world's poorest communities where poverty and hunger, prevent children from gaining an education. Currently, Mary's Meals is feeding over 1.5 million children a day in their place of education. Each meal costs just 11 cents, and to feed a child for a whole year costs $22. Committed to keeping running costs low, from every $1 earned, Mary's Meals spends 93 cents on charitable activities.

“One of the best things about this job is knowing that our efforts reduce landfills which in turn reduce carbon emissions while creating jobs,” said Tia Carroll, Head of Business Development at Textile Waste Diversion. “Raising money for great organizations is always heart-filling and one of the best parts of the job, but when I learned exactly how big an impact we would be having with Mary’s Meals on food security around the world, I teared up and continued to, for the rest of the day. This can be a stressful business, but it’s having an impact like this that keeps us going, and keeps us loving every minute. This partnership with 225 Wellesley Street East, Toronto, is helping us truly live up to our personal mandate which is to create a community driven, green future. We are very grateful to be a part of this.”

This initiative is precedent setting for condo complexes in Toronto where residents at 225 Wellesley Street East are determined to fill the bin and hungry stomachs at the same time.