With your support of the Grocery Gift Card Fund, you will be helping to ensure that mental health patients most in need including those living with chronic mental illness, accessing social assistance and some with children will receive the generous gift of being able to purchase food all throughout the year.

IMPACT is a University Health Network program that provides care to chronically unwell outpatients with a variety of mental health concerns. The goal of IMPACT is to support the well-being and recovery of these individuals, some of whom have no supports other than this team. Many of IMPACT’s clientele require daily support as they deal with an uncertain economic environment, poverty and food scarcity, in addition to their mental health concerns. With most of the daily meal programs in the city reduced due to the COVID-19 protocols, and our own team having to scale back our visits, these patients are facing increased stress putting their ability to survive at risk. Many require support for basic food needs already, but the pandemic and inflation have strained their food security even further. Should any of IMPACT’s clientele have to quarantine, their need for support would become even greater.

Since its inception, the fund has distributed more than 500 grocery gift cards, and helped many patients in Outpatient Mental Health Services put food on the table throughout the year and in times of crisis.