Last winter, during a particularly cold night, Justin Adam and Ani Castillo were leaving the coziness of a restaurant with their children, when one of them spotted a homeless man sleeping under a pile of newspapers.
“Why is he sleeping outside?”- Their 8 year old daughter old asked. – “Why isn’t he going home?” The streets were frozen solid. That innocent question felt specially heavy under such conditions. “He doesn’t have a home, dear…”
That night, Justin and Ani, founders of communications agency Miniature Massive, felt a seed planted inside and began planning a campaign to raise funds during the summer, to help their city’s homeless throughout the winter. Their target is to raise funds for the months when the city can see the temperature drop as low as frigid -40 degrees celsius, which is twice as cold as the average home freezer. Committed to keep their messaging positive, they’ve created illustrations that showcase those things that make Toronto a loved summer destination.
Although their desire to help comes from darker events. Justin: “Every year we hear stories about a man or a woman who lived outside and who’s body just couldn’t make it through the night. No one should be living under such conditions.” The fundraising will happen through the sales of their Toronto In The Summer bags, and they have big hopes for the future. Ani: “Homelessness is a complicated issue and won’t be fixed overnight. But we dream of a city that got together when things look bright and energy runs high, to make sure there’s no fellow human left to face ice, wind and snow without protection. We gotta use this city’s wealth, good heart and creativity to take care of everyone!”
More info: tosummer.ca
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