Photo © Courtesy of Bernard Betel Centre
Join us in honouring Dr. Eileen de Villa, Medical Officer of Health for the City of Toronto
Honouring Dr. Eileen de Villa, Medical Officer of Health for the City of Toronto, for her leadership and unwavering commitment to the health and safety of the community during the pandemic.
All proceeds from this event go towards supporting the Bernard Betel Centre Meals on Wheels program. Pre-pandemic, the Bernard Betel Centre delivered kosher meals daily to 160-200 fee-paying seniors, along with 20 free meals. During the pandemic, that number ballooned to providing 620 vulnerable Holocaust survivors and seniors living in poverty free meals three times a week, with 450 food-insecure seniors sitting anxiously on our waitlist. Food vulnerability amongst seniors and Holocaust survivors in north Toronto and southwest York Region is not new. However, the pandemic exacerbated this existing issue.
Due to mobility issues and cognitive decline, some cannot cook or even shop for themselves. Many lack the financial resources, family and governmental supports to fill their pantries and fridges. They must make gut-wrenching decisions between paying rent and buying food. They rely solely on the Bernard Betel Centre’s volunteer-driven kosher Meals on Wheels program for not only food, but for social interaction, too.
“I’m living in a tiny apartment, with no one to talk to. You are the first person I’ve spoken to in weeks,” one 90-year-old client told us.
In addition to the 620 seniors currently receiving the Bernard Betel Centre’s free kosher meals, we screened 1,300 homebound seniors living in poverty in March 2022 alone. Over 700 of them do not receive any agency or community support and 450 of them need ongoing food assistance to survive. The issue is critical! We will not be able to continue providing meals to the 620 seniors currently receiving our meals on wheels beyond January 2023. This does not even include those seniors on our waitlist, as the demand is too great. We need your help to continue providing this crucial service now, and in the future.
Seniors are going hungry. We desperately need your help to feed them!
Tickets and donations can also be made by phone at 416-225-2112, ext. 0
When: Thursday, November 24, 2022 • 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Where: Bernard Betel Centre, 1003 Steeles Avenue West, Toronto
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The Bernard Betel Centre for Creative Living was created by the National Council of Jewish Women to serve the needs of seniors in a way that honoured its Jewish heritage, beliefs, culture and principles. Our values continue to be guided by these principles.
