Humber's Hospitality–Event Management students are organizing events throughout April to raise awareness and funds for Youth Without Shelter, an emergency shelter that helps youth experiencing homelessness in the Greater Toronto Area.
Humber's Hospitality–Event Management program has maintained a partnership for the last six years with Youth Without Shelter, an organization in Rexdale that supports homeless and at-risk youth between the ages of 16 and 24.
The shelter offers essential services such as 35 emergency beds, hot meals, showers, and overnight accommodation. Additionally, it runs a downtown Toronto residence providing affordable monthly room rentals to help former residents maintain their support.
Through a partnership, Hospitality–Event Management students raise awareness, collect essential donations like food, t-shirts, and hygiene items, and support fundraising for the shelter's important work.
Tracey Grieveson, a Hospitality-Event Management professor at Humber Polytechnic, said homelessness among 16- to 24-year-olds in the GTA is a main takeaway for students to learn.
Grieveson said the second-year Hospitality-Event Management students work on a capstone project with an external client like Youth Without Shelter, covering all aspects of event planning from concept design to post-event evaluation.
She said the capstone project involves three main initiatives driven by Youth Without Shelter: the awareness campaign, in-kind support, and fundraising.
Grieveson said the awareness campaign was on March 31 and April 1, followed by in-kind support events on April 7 and 8. The fundraiser is scheduled for April 14 and 15.
“The awareness campaign is just to heighten the awareness to continue the conversation as to what Youth Without Shelter is all about and the services they offer,” she said.
She said the in-kind support involves organizing two events to gather food, t-shirts, and hygiene products, all of which are vital to the shelter’s needs.
Grieveson said the fundraising event is crucial because about 70 per cent of Youth Without Shelter's operating costs depend on donations. “We're very pleased that we can be a part of that initiative in getting them the funds that they need towards the shelter.”
Let’s Stock the Shelter team representing their donations for Youth Without Shelter at Humber North IGNITE Student Centre. | HumberETC/Ryan Persaud
Stephanie Custodio, a second-year Hospitality-Event Management student, said the capstone project helps raise awareness for students of their age, showing students they can turn to the shelter for support when needed.
She said her team contributed to in-kind donations through their event called Let’s Stock the Shelter.
Let’s Stock the Shelter was held on April 8 at Humber North Campus IGNITE Student Centre.
Custodio, the sub-coordinator for the Let’s Stock the Shelter event, said the event focuses on gathering donations like coffee, tea, snacks, reusable water bottles and blankets to support the shelter’s needs, while featuring TikTok challenges to engage students.
She said most food donations, like instant soups, chips, and chocolates, came from students, while others were collected through personal efforts within their inner circles, including friends, family, and neighbours.
She said the event raises awareness about Youth Without Shelter by sharing testimonials and providing information, helping students recognize that the shelter is a valuable resource.
Custodio said helping youth is rewarding because the youth often need help but don’t ask for it. Students should get involved in their communities to give back.
Sahildeep Singh, a second-year Hospitality-Event Management student, said engaging with different people at Let’s Stock the Shelter creates a meaningful impact to the Humber community and raises awareness for Youth Without Shelter.
Singh was a team helper and an MC for the Let’s Stock the Shelter event.
He said it was his first time being an MC and he felt nervous at first, but connecting with his team and speaking in his own language, including some Punjabi, helped him engage the crowd and share the purpose of the capstone project and the shelter.
“We just played a few songs, so that we can attract more people,” Singh said.
He said they organized activities such as logo guessing, a ball toss, and a fizzy drink challenge, offering prizes and gift cards. Additionally, they emphasized sharing the event’s message, encouraging donations, and fostering social engagement to support Youth Without Shelter.
Paws and Peace team representing their fundraising for Youth Without Shelter at Humber North. | HumberETC/Ryan Persaud
Paws and Peace is a student-led fundraiser held on April 14 at Humber North Campus, supporting Youth Without Shelter. The event featured activities like therapy dogs, crafts and sneaks, all for a $5 donation.
Paws and Peace raises funds and awareness while promoting wellness and community student engagement.
Angie Portugal, a second-year Hospitality-Event Management student and a team leader for Paws and Peace, said she and eight other students from the same class worked together to organize the Paws and Peace fundraiser event.
Portugal said the sponsorships and contributions to the fundraiser included Sunshine Therapy Dogs for stress relief, Massage chairs offering relaxation massages, Vintage Bash donating flowers, student volunteers offering manicures, Costco contributing a gift card for food, and the Student Wellness Centre supplying painting materials.
Sunshine is a non-profit that brings therapy dogs, including Esme, Layla, Max, Chloe and Reba, to various locations to relieve stress and bring joy to people’s lives. Sunshine volunteers offer the opportunity to interact with the dogs, helping reduce stress and promote happiness.
Portugal said Costco supported the event with a $50 gift card for food and cereal, which she secured by speaking with the manager at her workplace.
“Everything that we have left over, everything is going to be donated to them,” she said.
