The Little Mission with a Big Heart

By Andrew W. Sarrasin, Chair of Fundraising for the Mile End Community Mission.

Mile End Community Mission began in May of 1991 making soup for about 20 people a day, but has become much more than first imagined!

Lovingly known as “The Little Mission with a Big Heart” on the corner of Bernard and St. Urbain, it provides incalculable services to people in the Mile End and adjacent areas. For nearly a quarter of a century, the Mission has overcome many challenges and continues to grow, providing numerous important programs today. In the last 12 months, our Food Programs have provided almost 12,000 hot meals, close to 4,000 meals to families, over 2,500 meals to seniors, and more than 4,500 snacks. In addition, the Mission provides more than 8,000 food bags to help bridge the weekend gap.

The Mile End Community Mission provides a rare commodity that goes beyond what is offered by its programs. We provide meaning to each and every member who enters our door, and those who may hesitate to enter can feel this radiating into the streets. It is a place of comfort, a place of solace and safety, a place where one feels included as an important part of a community; it is a place of nourishment for the body and the soul.

Your financial and moral support helps our members to smile and carry on through so many of their daily challenges; simply knowing there are people who support and care about them fills their hearts and lifts their spirits. This is what the Mile End Community Mission is all about and why it is “The Little Mission with a Big Heart”!

In order to keep the mission alive and viable, we must continually invest our efforts in several fundraising endeavors. In 2009, we launched our Annual Thanksgiving Benefit Dinner. Since then, with the help and support of people like you, the event has raised more than $200,000 to meet the ever increasing needs for our services.

We are very excited to welcome Lori Graham as Guest of Honour for our 7th Annual Benefit Dinner on Thursday, October 22nd, 2015. Lori has a vested interest in helping the community and serving others and is a dearly loved ambassador for CTV at many fundraisers. Lori is involved in many local charities and we are immensely proud to have her with us this year!

Please join us on Thursday, October 22nd, 2015 for an enchanting Masquerade-themed soirée. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, guests will have the opportunity to give back to the community while having a ball!

We look forward to welcoming you for Cocktails at 6 p.m. followed by Dinner at 7 p.m. in the state of the art facilities of the beautiful Le Crystal Reception Hall.

Tickets are $200 per person, and a tax receipt of $125 will be issued for each ticket; which may be purchased at www.mileendmission.org/events/benefit and for additional information, please contact us at (514) 947-2074 or [email protected].