Advent Starter Kits

Shop from home, JOIN the Advent Starter Kit Project!
Share a Christmas Gift with a Person in Need - Donate a Home Starter Kit

As we each do our part staying safe at home contemplating perfect gifts for “hard to buy for” people on our Christmas gift lists, here is a new and quite green idea for you to consider. Why not shop from your kitchen drawers and cupboards and linen closets to help some of our more vulnerable Toronto neighbours?

Work together with the people in your family or with a few friends or close neighbours to assemble a Starter Kit for a homeless person making their transition from a bed in a shelter to their first independent home. Instead of going on-line or going out to buy something for a person who doesn’t need more things, let them know your gift this year is a gift to someone who needs just about everything!

Working with the North Toronto Church Cluster's Upper Room- a group of United Churches who collaborate on Social Justice initatives, we are working together to create Starter Kits for people across the city. 

What is the Advent Starter Kit Project? This is an effort to help people currently living in our homeless shelters transition to their own independent housing. Remember when you moved into your first apartment on your own and you needed a pot to boil water, a plate to put your Kraft dinner on, a wooden spoon, some cutlery, a glass for water, sheets and a towel? That’s what’s in a starter kit.  Click on this link to see the list of items in a Starter Kit.   

Who will be receiving the Starter Kits?
People transferring from shelters all across the city will be receiving our Starter Kits. We will be working with the community engagement coordinators at the Roehampton Shelter to deliver our completed kits. They will arrange distribution of them to the various locations across the city.


Who is organizing our first Advent Kit Project?
Victoria Turner, a member of our congregation who with her family has helped us on previous projects to support the Red Door Shelter, has agreed to be the first co-Chair and key contact this new project. Her email address is victoria@yourpoweroutlet.com and her mobile number is 416-274-8968. If you have questions, connect with Victoria. If you want to volunteer to help us with final assembly and delivery (respecting COVID protocols), connect with Victoria.

How can I participate?

You have two ways to be a part of this project:
Assemble a Starter Kit with your family, friends, neighbours, or
Make a financial donation of $50 or $200.

Next Steps - Assembling a Starter Kit:
Sign up by Tues Dec 1st - send an email to Victoria at victoria@yourpoweroutlet.comto let her know you will be preparing one of our December kits. And if you would like to tell us about your motivation to participate, let her know whether you are doing this is lieu of a gift for someone on your list. We’d like to know a little about who you are working with and why you are doing this. Every story is a treasure and we hope you will share yours with us.

Pick up your laundry basket - Wed Dec 2nd - stop by the side door of the church during normal business hours to pick up your laundry basket. We have purchased these in bulk and one will be waiting for you in a large clear heavy duty plastic bag with your name on it. If you aren’t able to pick up on Wed, please let Victoria know and we will make other arrangements.

Assemble all the items for your Starter Kit and pack them into the laundry basket. A check list will be included in your laundry basket so you can tick items off as you collect them.

Return your completed Starter Kit to the church - Wed Dec 9th between 4 and 6pm.  If you aren’t able to drop off on Wed afternoon, please let Victoria know and we will make other arrangements. Items we are buying in bulk will be added to the Starter Kits so that we can deliver them on Fri Dec 11th.

Next Steps - Making a Financial Donation:
If signing up to assemble a Starter Kit doesn’t work with your schedule for the next few weeks or you have already culled your cupboards of extra items and don’t want to go out to shop, perhaps you would prefer to make a financial contribution.   

There are two suggested amounts:  
$200 - We have been advised that a full completed kit is valued at about $250, including the $50 Food gift card.  If you would like to contribute $200, we will make arrangements to buy the items to complete a kit for you.  To make sure we know you are paying for a kit to be prepared by us, please let Victoria know so we can prepare our shopping lists accordingly, or
$50 - This will help cover the cost of the laundry baskets and cleaning product items we are buying in bulk to include in all the kits.

If you choose to donate money by cheque:
Please make your cheque payable to Rosedale United Church and write “Starter Kit” on the memo line.  Please make sure to include your name and address so we can prepare your tax receipt correctly.  You can mail your cheque or drop it off in the mail slot in the side door of the church at 159 Roxborough Drive, Toronto, ON M4W 1X7.  

If you choose to donate by e-transfer:
Please send your e-transfer to churchoffice@rosedaleunited.org and write “Starter Kit” in the message box. No password is required. Donations are automatically deposited.
Please send an email to churchoffice@rosedaleunited.org with your name and address so we can prepare your tax receipt correctly. Please reference your e-transfer.

Tax receipts: for your starter kit donations will be prepared and mailed as part of our annual tax receipt preparations in early 2021.

Thank you in advance for your support of our Advent Starter Kit Project to help our less fortunate neighbours.