There are numerous ways to support grassroots causes in Toronto, from group volunteer opportunities and donations to renting neighbourhood venues and supporting community fundraisers.
There's a growing desire among meeting and event planners, delegates and attendees to make a meaningful impact on local communities. And Toronto offers a wealth of inspiration for creating lasting and positive change. Here are some creative ways to support charitable causes at your next business event.
1. Make a donation to a local Toronto charity
For planners wishing to organize donations among their event attendees, there are many Toronto-based charities to choose from.
DonateTO, a city-run initiative connecting donors with giving opportunities, showcases organizations that are doing everything from supporting refugee claimants to expanding the city’s urban forest and helping to maintain the Spirit Garden, a contemplative space at Nathan Phillips Square that aims to advance reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Toronto.
A $1,700 donation to the Toronto Paramedic Services Safe City Program will add a new Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to the network of more than 1,200 AEDs across Toronto, increasing the chances of survival for individuals experiencing cardiac arrest.
The High Park Animal Display, a free year-round attraction, is undergoing an improvement project that will introduce new seating areas, shade structures, gardens and a reconstructed Deer Pen Road pedestrian trail. The Honey Family Foundation is matching the first $50,000 in donations to support this initiative.
2. Give goods you no longer need to communities that need it
Making a financial contribution isn’t the only way to give back. Planners can donate lightly used materials purchased for the meeting or encourage attendees to contribute goods, too.
This past summer, gaming chairs, mics, headsets, mice and keyboards that were used during Riot Games’ VALORANT Masters Toronto 2025 tournament, were donated to the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, Visions of Science, Just B Graphic, Toronto Metropolitan University and Humber College.
Habitat for Humanity’s Habitat ReStore accepts items that consumers might like to purchase for their homes, such as decor, furniture and table linens.
Habitat for Humanity’s Habitat ReStore accepts items that consumers might like to purchase for their homes—such as decor, furniture, lighting, table linens, carpeting and flooring, appliances, construction material and even event swag such as candles, coffee mugs, tote bags, packaged treats, specialty teas and notebooks. Donations are either sold at the retail locations or in ReStore’s online shop, with proceeds going to support affordable homeownership.
The Gifts of Light program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), accepts basic necessities, such as toiletries, as well as passes for local art and music workshops, fitness classes, museums, galleries and attractions. And their Suits Me Fine clothing boutique accepts donations of new and gently used clothing, from everyday essentials like socks and undergarments to casual outfits, professional attire and special-occasion clothing. Both programs offer these items to CAMH clients free of charge.
There’s also Furniture Bank, a social enterprise that helps keep furniture out of landfills by redistributing donated couches, tables, chairs, et cetera to families and newcomers in the Greater Toronto Area.
3. Gather your team and volunteer together
There are plenty of places across Toronto where event attendees can participate in team-building volunteer opportunities together. You can lend your hand at a Habitat for Humanity Canada’s residential house construction build or at a Habitat ReStore GTA distribution centre. Another option is to help assemble gifts for patients and their families at Holland Bloorview, a children’s rehabilitation hospital.
Groups can also spend a half or full day getting hands-on at one of the PACT Grow-to-Learn organic schoolyard farms, part of the organization’s food security initiative. Activities like seeding, planting, weeding, harvesting and garden maintenance can be customized to suit each team, with options for low-impact and accessible participation.
4. Rent a neighbourhood venue to help support local non-profit organizations
Renting a neighbourhood venue for your event helps support local issues that matter to Torontonians—and your event attendees—most.
Evergreen, an environmental non-profit, has several event spaces at Brick Works, a 135-year-old former brick factory tucked in the ravines along the Don River. The spaces include everything from four meeting rooms that hold up to 60 people to CRH Gallery and Koerner Gardens, a 27,000-square-foot space that has a capacity for 2,000 event attendees.
The event space at Times Change Women’s Employment Service offers bright natural light and a fully equipped setting ideal for AGMs, board meetings, seminars, training sessions and team workshops. Conveniently located at College and Yonge Streets, the venue is wheelchair accessible and includes a small kitchenette. All rental fees directly support programs that help women gain meaningful employment.
5. Include participation in a local fundraiser as part of your event programming
Another way to support charitable causes at your business event is to incorporate an existing community fundraising activity into your event program.
For example, UnMasked, CAMH’s signature fundraising event, brings together leaders from a wide range of industries and disciplines for an unforgettable evening. Guests enjoy an exclusive culinary experience, moving between intimate dinner parties hosted at downtown art galleries, each featuring a menu created by one of Toronto’s top chefs.
Since its inception, UnMasked has raised over $11 million to support CAMH’s groundbreaking mental health care programs. The next UnMasked event will take place on May 13, 2026.
Scrubs in the City is an annual fundraising event in support of SickKids Hospital. The 2025 edition raised $1.5 million to help fund upgrades to the hospital’s neurophysiology and neurodiagnostic lab equipment. The next Scrubs in the City takes place June 4, 2026 at Evergreen Brick Works.
6. Help Battle Food Waste and Food Insecurity
Team members who love to cook will enjoy a hands-on soup-making experience with the Toronto chapter of Soup Sisters.
“Good food is a human right for all—we make something delicious because the recipients deserve that.”
— Shawna Ogston, Soup Sisters
It’s more than team building: In a three-hour session, participants learn about food insecurity, nutrition and the positive impact that the soup they’re making has on recipients at schools, shelters and local agencies.
“Our Soup Sisters ambassador speaks to the group about the history of our organization, why we’re making soup and the impact that it has,” executive director Shawna Ogston explains. “Good food is a human right for all—we make something delicious because the recipients deserve that.”
For groups of 12 people, sessions are held at the Nella Cucina Culinary School on Bathurst Street. For larger groups, Ogston is happy to create a tailored package where the team-building activity takes place onsite at the host convention centre or conference hotel kitchen.
Other ways to volunteer in Toronto include helping in the kitchen or sorting donations at the Daily Bread Food Bank, or supporting Second Harvest, Canada’s largest food rescue organization, through a cash donation.
If your group will be in Toronto on May 13, 2026, consider taking part in the annual Second Harvest Truck Pull Challenge. Teams of 10 compete to pull a 20,000-pound food delivery truck across Nathan Phillips Square in the fastest time, raising funds to support Second Harvest’s food rescue and redistribution efforts.
Find more Toronto Charities to Partner with at your business event.
Story created in partnership with Ignite Magazine
