Lionhearts -uniting our community

The past year has been a challenging one for everyone, but even more so for the disenfranchised members of our community who struggle to find food and shelter every day. The pandemic has exacerbated food and housing insecurity, while shutting down some agencies who provide services to the most vulnerable members of our population. Lionhearts, a local charity, has stepped up to meet this challenge, bringing people and resources together to help those most in need.

Lionhearts was founded six years ago by a group of friends looking to help marginalized populations in our community. They began with a simple project to collect winter coats, and connected with the Hub Group, who generously began donating unclaimed coats from Stages nightclub. Their work quickly expanded to include the distribution of food, toiletries and clothing to over 30 local organizations who provide front-line services in the community.

The pandemic added a new sense of urgency to their work. “The pandemic changed things for everyone, but especially those who rely on service organizations who have had to change their practices, and in some cases, close down,” says Founder and Executive Director Travis Blackmore. “Social distancing and other restrictions have made many services unavailable.”

As the pandemic began closing down various programs, Lionhearts volunteers decided to transition to a meals-to-go approach. They began offering dinners at McBurney Park and then expanded to two other locations, serving between 800 and 1,000 meals a day. They have provided over 180,000 meals since the pandemic began.

“Anyone is welcome to pick up food,” says Blackmore. “We invite people to take as much as they need, no questions asked.” It’s recommended that only one member of a family pick up food in order to help maintain social distancing at distribution sites. People are also welcome to take food for others in their neighbourhood who may be isolated or unable to get to a Lionhearts location.

Winter makes outdoor locations challenging, so Lionhearts went back to their first partner – The Hub Group – to ask about the possibility of using Stages as a distribution point. With help from more than 200 volunteers, Lionhearts provides meals, toiletries and clothing at the nightclub from 6-7 p.m. each evening, and Kingston Street Mission uses it to run a nightly warming centre from 8 – 11 p.m. Meals are also available at the Kingston Community Health Centre, the Integrated Care Hub and the Amherstview Community Hall.

Blackmore says that volunteers and partners are at the heart of this work. “This is truly a community effort,” he says. “Together, we can get through this pandemic and make our society better for all.”

Want to help? Join the Lionhearts ‘Pulse’ program to donate funds!