THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS

MARCH 26, 2020

T
COVID-19 13

Stepping up to fight a global pandemic

Susan Minuk
Special to the CJN
With horror stories about COVID-19
spreading as quickly as the virus itself,
Canadians are struggling to remain calm.
But one Canadian is providing concrete
ways to “show up” for those who may
need an emotional boost.
“Many people feel asphyxiated by the
unknowns. But there are pinpricks of
light,” said Kim Smiley, founder and
CEO of the Empathy Effect. Empowering
some 75 countries through social media,
the Empathy Effect shines a light on the
beauty and interconnection that crises or
pandemics often catalyze.
“We are inspiring people to practise
the #empathypledge, a promise to prac-
tise one act of empathy a day,” explains
Smiley. “We’re trying to quell the fear
through focusing on the beauty that still
surrounds us.”
UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, the
hub of more than 100 organizations in the
community, has launched a campaign to
mobilize community members to get in-
volved and support the most vulnerable
Ve’ahavta’s goal is to keep their van program operating throughout the crisis, looking for
people who are sleeping outside and providing them supplies.
people, who may not be able to shop for
much-needed stores of food and cleaning
supplies.
“We have set up a donation dropoff sys-
tem at (the) Lipa Green (Centre), asking
community members who want to do-
nate to drop off either a kit that they have
assembled themselves or just a box of
supplies that they can spare,” said Steve
McDonald, UJA’s vice-president of com-
munications and marketing.
“We are working with our Jewish social
service agencies to ensure that we have
a safe and effective delivery mechanism
to get these kits out to community mem-
bers who are going to be confined to their
homes. Volunteers are phoning vulner-
able seniors, checking in to see how they
are doing and we are looking to set up
a hotline that people can call for assist-
ance.”
Every year, UJA raises funds for its
Global Seder program, helping vulnerable
Jews, locally and globally, to celebrate
Passover in dignity. But this year is unlike
any other year, due to the coronavirus.
However, a donor has stepped in to pro-
vide additional support.
“We have received a phenomenal gift
from the Krawczyk family. They have gen-
erously offered to match, dollar for dol-
lar, donations up to $100,000, dedicated
to help the most vulnerable in our com-
munity to help with the pandemic,” said
McDonald.
But the fallout from COVID-19 is more
than just financial, as people, following
public health authorities’ recommenda-
tions, become more isolated.
Continued on next page

Michael Marcovitz talks tax strategy

It’s not about how much money you make.
It’s about how much money you keep.
Tax minimization | Portfolio management | Financial planning |
Legacy creation | Intergenerational wealth transfer |
Estate and trust planning | Insurance strategy *

Contact me today for a complimentary

tax-smart and performance evaluation.

Michael Marcovitz M.B.A, LL.B.

Senior Vice President, Investment Advisor
TD Wealth Private Investment Advice
79 Wellington Street West, 11th Floor, Toronto, ON M5K 1A1
Tel: 416-308-9084 | Email: michael.marcovitz@td.com
Web: http://www.michaelmarcovitz.com

As of February 19, 2019. Unique experiences and past performances do not guarantee future results. TD Wealth Private Investment Advice is a division of TD Waterhouse Canada Inc., a subsidiary of The Toronto-Dominion Bank. ® The TD logo and other trade-marks are the
property of The Toronto-Dominion Bank. *These services, except portfolio management, are offered in collaboration with TD specialists.
14 COVID-19
Agencies reaching out to the most vulnerable
CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE
“Anxiety thrives and grows when we
have free time,” said Leanne Matlow, a
cognitive behavioural counsellor and
founder of Mental Health Empowerment
Day. “Parents should continue to get kids
to bed and wake them up at their normal
time.
“We really have to be cognizant of social
distancing – you can’t have a music group
over at your house, it’s actually irrespon-
sible. You can teach your kids about
charity. Go through your house and find
things you don’t need anymore and cre-
ate a donation bag. It’s really about find-
ing the good in an uncertain situation. We
can’t forget that there is incidental learn-
ing – silly things, like taking things out of
your cupboard and alphabetizing them,
or baking and measuring and doing a
craft or playing board games. It could be
a scavenger hunt – go find something in
the house that starts with an L.”
Matlow encourages people to reach out
to one another.
“It’s a time to build community. Even
though we are isolated, we can still help
each other. FaceTime and Skype with
All Who Are Hungry
Come And Eat
NCJWC Toronto's Passover Food Drive is the largest kosher holiday food drive in North America
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Individual & Corporate Sponsors Welcome.
UJA Federation of Greater Toronto packing
boxes of donated goods in preparation
for delivery to seniors and vulnerable
community members during the COVID-19
pandemic.
Donate to help those in need this Passover
It’s really about finding
the good in an uncertain
situation
Leanne Matlow,
mental health advocate
friends and grandparents to stay con-
nected.”
Matlow added that there is still beauty
in the world to appreciate.
“There are still trees,” she said. “You
hear birds singing and you can feel the
warmth of the sunshine. Seize that mo-
ment.”
Ve’ahavta, the humanitarian social ser-
vices agency that provides intervention
programs for people who have been af-
fected by homelessness, is calling out to
the community.
“We are working with a very vulnerable
March 22 - April 2, 2020
-Haggadah
416.633.5100 | www.PassoverFoodDrive.org
T THE CANADIAN JEWISH NEWS
MARCH 26, 2020
population who have multiple health
issues,” said executive director Cari
Kozierok. “We are asking people to donate
gift cards to Tim Hortons so folks can buy
something hot .... We are very fortunate
we can wash (our hands) with soap and
water any time we want, but the people
affected by homelessness don’t have
bathrooms and soap to wash up. Hand
sanitizers, especially the really small bot-
tles, are things we could be distributing
to help them stay safe. We are also asking
people to go on our Amazon wish list.”
Danielle Morris, founder of Hungry
North of the GTA, a Facebook food-shar-
ing group for Ontarians in North York,
Thornhill, Richmond Hill, Aurora and
Barrie, is helping those in need who don’t
have food or are locked down and can’t
get out.
“There’s a tenet in Judaism that it’s a sin
to waste food,” said Morris. “The premise
is simple: If you have extra food, you post
it. If you are in need, you post it and it gets
delivered.” ■
To learn how you can help, visit
jewishtoronto.com/help-us-help-our-
most-vulnerable.