Thank You, Toronto

Making a fashion statement and a positive change can now go hand-in-hand, thanks to a company called Thank You Toronto. In early 2014, they started a cause to feed the homeless. They’ve expanded their cause to feeding animals at the Toronto Humane Society as well as donating socks to people in need.

The charitable initiative started from an Instagram account that featured photos of all things related to Toronto. About three months, 10,000 followers and 25,000 hashtags later, Neil Wong, the founder of Thank You Toronto asked himself how he can use this In

stagram network for a positive good.

Wong then got together with his brother and a friend and looked into several companies, eventually deciding to start a community-based initiative aimed to make a positive impact in the city.

“So we released two hats which [are] the Thank You Toronto “Home is Here” hats. And with the cause behind it, for every hat we sell, we feed a person in need, but through local distribution channels,” Wong said.

Since then, they have released other caps, toques and beanies, socks, and a dog leash. Wong hopes to release more apparel including T-shirts and sweatshirts. Every product gives a shout out to the city of Toronto.

Currently, Thank You Toronto has three campaigns which involve feeding the homeless, giving socks to those in need and feeding animals. Their food campaign feeds one homeless person for every hat sold. The sock campaign is a donation of a pair of socks for every sock package sold. Lastly, the animal campaign provides one full day of meals for an animal at the Toronto Humane Society for every dog leash sold. Wong is pleased with the success of Thank You Toronto’s current campaigns and hopes to develop more in the near future.

Working together with local restaurants, Thank You Toronto gives direct food donations to people in need. Wong teamed up with Fran’s, which helped him with his first feeding donation ever. He also partnered with Shakes and Franks by purchasing their leftover food from the Beaches International Jazz Festival, which was then arranged to go to a homeless shelter.

Tegan Buckingham, manager of public relations at the Toronto Humane Society, is excited about Thank You Toronto’s upcoming donation, which will provide 250 days worth of food to an animal at the shelter.

“We were very thrilled with [the donation]. We are totally not government-funded at all here, so all donations go very far, like a long way,” she said. “We are happy to be involved and that he thought about us to promote and to support.”

As for socks, Thank You Toronto is collaborating with Yo Sox, who has manufactured them. The two companies are working together to design stylish socks. Their first sock donation will be be distributed very soon to shelters in Toronto.

Wong is pleased to see that other companies are acknowledging Thank You Toronto’s cause and joining in to give back to the needy in Toronto.

“Using my network to help spread a movement, whether they buy stuff from me or another company, or whether there’s large corporate companies that want to give back too, it’s just spreading that movement of ‘thank you’,” he said.

Wong’s family went through a time of financial instability 10 years ago where they moved around a lot. This rough patch in his life has taught him to work hard, and is one of the reasons he started giving back through various campaigns. It’s why this cause is personal to him.

“I wasn’t homeless, but I definitely didn’t get the things that I wanted. It was definitely a rough time. My parents had to think about everything, and [we weren’t] sure what the next year was going to be like.”

Thank You Toronto products can be found on their online store or at the following retail locations: Yo Sox, Spacing Store, Brimz Hat Boutique, Pipler Accessories and Urban Dog Fitness + Spa.

Celebrities have been spotted sporting the products, such as DJ Hardwell, when he was in Toronto for his concert, Canadian rapper Kardinal Offishall and the Z103.5 radio cast.

“I never thought something that started from an Instagram account or just something that you can just sit and draw and design at home would catch the eyes of people that most people pay or beg to get a shout out of your product,” Wong said. “But they just believe in you or they just want to support, or they just think it’s fashionable, regardless of everything.”

Thank You Toronto’s first feeding donation, in which they partnered up with Fran’s:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfQb0tKvGW0

*This article initially appeared in CanCulture Magazine in November 2015