In our tight-knit Orangeville community, thousands of households have lost their jobs.  Some are living in quarantine and may have contracted the COVID-19 virus.  In some cases, all three calamities have occurred simultaneously. 
 
Single moms have become recently unemployed, in quarantine and with mouths to feed.  Low-income people with disabilities have become fearful of venturing outside.  In the worse-case scenarios, a few of our elderly neighbours are quarantined in motels and in mourning after a loved one has passed of COVID-19.  They mourn alone as they wait to find out if they’re next.   It’s difficult to envision a more distressing and solitary human experience.
 
But we can help!  

Thanks to the kind-heartedness and generosity of local restaurants and caterers like Curry Mantra, Lavender Blue, Fromage and Philadelphia Kitchen, hundreds of courtesy meals and groceries are being distributed daily to people unable to make healthy meals during this crisis.   They are being delivered by caring volunteers, and through Dufferin Food Share and other organizations, to people suffering financial and emotional distress, people not able to provide life’s most basic necessity to themselves or their family.   

The Rotary Club of Orangeville Highlands GoFundMe campaign will make it easier for participating restaurants and caterers to continue providing food while we get through this crisis.  
 
The average cost of making a nutritious meal by the participating restaurants is $8-$10, so please consider donating one meal or more!    100% of the proceeds will go to the participating restaurant or caterer to off-set the costs of ingredients.  Show that Orangeville cares.

 We can’t emphasize the importance of community support in times of critical distress, it’s often the impetus that gets victims through the darkest periods of their lives.  It’s impossible to feel completely alone when someone knocks on your door every day to deliver a meal donated by a caring stranger.  When our neighbours get through it, and they will, they’ll know that Orangeville stood by them, even if it was at a distance.
 
If you are a person in need of meal assistance, please contact the participating restaurants directly.  No questions will be asked. For ongoing food support, Dufferin Food Share provides two boxes of grocery items each month, including prepared meals by Lavender Blue.
 
If you are a restaurant who is donating free meals to those affected by COVID-19 and would like support to extend your program, please email Rotary Club of Orangeville Highlands at [email redacted].

Thank you for caring. 
 
Facebook: Orangeville Caremongering
Currymantra.ca
Lavenderbluecatering.com
Fromageorangeville.ca
Philadelphiakitchen.ca

Rotary Club of Orangeville Highlands: https://rcoh.ewcsitehost.com/