Just before Easter, our Bridges’ team hosted a community Easter dinner, welcoming close to 200 community members for turkey or a vegan option, vegetables, mashed potatoes, gravy, and a special treat bag filled with chocolates and a Tim Hortons gift card. 

YSM serves holiday meals like this one both to ensure community members enjoy a delicious hot meal and as an on-ramp into our other programs and wrap-around care. Perhaps most importantly, these meals provide an opportunity for those who attend to build community with YSM’s staff, volunteers and fellow guests in a familiar and safe environment. 

Our church partner C3 Toronto generously spread added joy by donating 750 gift bags filled with chocolate for YSM community members and families. These were greatly appreciated by all who received them. Thank you, C3 Toronto, for your kindness! 

Over the Easter weekend, YSM’s Church at the Mission hosted Good Friday and Easter Sunday services. On Friday, those who came spent time adding prayers of confession to a large wooden cross. When they returned on Sunday morning, every paper was gone, and the cross was covered with flowers. 

Thank you to our committed volunteers who served the Easter dinner, and to all who generously donated to help provide the meal and to keep our Food Bank stocked! We are especially grateful to each of you who wrote personal greetings on the placemats you received in the mail, which we distributed during the dinner. Thank you!

This story originally appeared in YSM’s summer 2024 Urban Lights.