❗ Thank you to our current supporters and friends. We have received and purchased over 1,000 items to redistribute ❗

🌻 About Our Non-Profit Organization 🌻

25 Cents is a newly established non-profit organization founded by two college students with a mission to provide direct support to homeless individuals in Toronto, Ontario. Recognizing the alarmingly high suicide rates among Toronto's homeless population as of 2024, 25 Cents aims to address the immediate needs of this vulnerable group by distributing essential survival items, including heating packs, hygiene supplies, nutrition blocks, and blankets. We can't always guarantee timely access and availability to each item, so we rely on donations given as well.

We prioritize empathetic and direct action. By personally delivering these essential items, volunteers can establish genuine connections and foster a sense of human interaction for often overlooked individuals. We seek to collaborate with individuals, institutions like colleges and universities, hospitals, charities, manufacturing companies, and clubs to amplify its impact. 

We also recognize the limitations of our scope and focus on making a tangible difference, one person at a time.  While acknowledging the complex societal and economic factors contributing to homelessness, we believe that small acts of kindness can have a ripple effect, bringing warmth, comfort, and a renewed sense of hope to those struggling to survive. 

Homeless individuals experience higher rates of mental health and substance use disorders, which are significant risk factors for suicide attempts. The deeper issue sometimes stems from experienced trauma, abuse, and stressful life events, contributing to their mental and physical risks. Their lack of motivation and encouragement to seek out support networks, survivability essentials, and healthy socialization also furthers the increasing vulnerability to suicide. Their lack of stable income, employment opportunities, and access to basic necessities was enough for us to think about what we could personally bring to their communities.

There are around 437 homeless shelters in Canada, with the majority in the most populated provinces. There are 49 homeless shelters in Toronto, and the average wait time for social housing for homeless individuals is around 4.6 years. While these shelters are an option, we understand the dangers feared by homeless people within these shelters. Many choose to live individually or in small tent communities far from these shelters due to a fear of stolen belongings, more potential of being exposed to more drugs, sexual abuse and the risk of organ selling and human trafficking.

We will directly impact these individuals by actively visiting different parts of the city and giving out survival essentials by hand. This would include distributing items like heating packs, hygienic supplies, nutrition blocks, and blankets to those without housing. With an emphasis on empathy, we hope to focus on decreasing the rising suicide rates of those who struggle to survive in Toronto, Ontario, as of 2024. While we understand we cannot change the deeper issues causing homelessness in Toronto, the city's economic state, and deep-rooted cultures that inherently ignore those In need, we strive to start small and hope to support one individual at a time.  Allowing our volunteers to directly contact those they want to help will create a more empathetic connection and bond for those who are used to being ignored and walked past. We want to restore more conversation, interaction, and purpose for those who choose to help us and those receiving help from our organization.    

❗ Thank you to our current supporters and friends. We have received and purchased over 1,000 items to redistribute ❗