OUR VOLUNTEERS
The enormous expansion of our programs has been made possible by our dedicated donors and volunteers, who have brought in clothing and supplies, facilitated courses, worked in our kitchen and warehouse, made sandwiches and baked goods, made blankets, packed harm reduction kits, ran clothing and supply drives, and otherwise showed up to support our outreach van clients and work and life skills program participants.
In 2023, 1,481 people volunteered at Ve’ahavta, 864 of them new
Volunteers who supported people
facing homelessness
in our city
You have kept top of mind, those who have been all but forgotten by society, through your work with our
Mobile Jewish Response to Homelessness
Outreach Van Program.
In 2023:
You invested 4,722 hours preparing sandwiches and making baked goods through our Make-a-Meal program
You served 70,329 hot, nutritious meals from
the van
563 of you handed out meals and clothing from the van
Volunteers who supported our clients getting back on their feet
You have helped people facing complex barriers – refugee status, abuse, addiction, mental health challenges – to take the next steps on their journey to gainful employment by dedicating your time and energy to our work and life skills training programs.
in 2023:
volunteers helped
Recipe for Success and Upper Shelf interns reach their full potential
volunteer facilitators ran courses in Ve’ahavta’s work and life skills training programs
We ❤️ groups
More groups of volunteers came out than ever before, from synagogues, schools, and corporations. In 2023, we hosted:
volunteer groups, totaling
858 people
B’nai Mitzvah Program Relaunch
Families seeking a rich B’nai MItzvah experience participated in our newly relaunched B’nai Mitzvah program.
Youth had the opportunity to put Torah values – like chesed and tzedakah – into action directly helping others, and walked away with a sense of meaning, purpose, and empowerment to make the world a better place.
30 B’nai Mitzvah program participants deepened their B’nai Mitzvah experience
It was an emergency... and you took the calL
This year, refugees from African countries found themselves shut out of the shelter system and needing to sleep on the streets of Toronto.
Two local churches created temporary beds and Ve’ahavta supported them with:
hot meals over 5 weeks
people helped out by volunteering and donating
Thanks, Kids!
This year, more kids than ever chose to support Ve’ahavta through their birthday parties.
kids chose Ve’ahavta
for their Echoage party
Why do people volunteer?
The top reasons why people volunteer with Ve’ahavta
The Impact of Volunteering
Volunteering at Ve’ahavta impacts the program participant AND the volunteer
Who are our volunteers?
Our volunteers range in age from 5-101. Volunteering is for all ages!
of new volunteers heard about volunteering at Ve’ahavta through word-of-mouth
Our volunteers speak 37 languages
“Each one of us has far more power to influence the lives of others than we might realize. The experiences I have had volunteering with Ve’ahavta not only bring me joy in the moment, but they fundamentally have impacted and will continue to impact me for the rest of my life.”
Hannah Mansell
16 years old, Ve’ahavta volunteer since age 11
100-Hour+ Club, 2023
Thank you to the following
exceptional volunteers
who each gave over 100 hours
of service in 2023:
Brian Bogach
Charly Hazan
Dalia Goodman
Daryl Usprech
Efraim Barmak
Emily Zaltz
Gayle Holtzman
Joel Daiter
Karim Kassam
Lea Barmak
Maxine Hermolin
Mirriam Rubb
Naomi Zacks
Natalie Fingerhut
Shabana Ali
Tom Siskos
Vines Rajendram
Zippy Brown
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ron Haber, Chair of the Board
Amalia Berg
Deborah Berlach
Amiel Blajchman
Celia Denov
Michael Feldman
Tom Chervinsky
Tammy Glied
Susan Kagan
Norman Levine
Charles Magerman
Kate Schatzky
Melissa Tobenstein
Alan Winer
Larry Zimmerman