New “Done-For-You” Recruitment Campaign by OCSA Supports Urgent, Ongoing Need for Volunteers
Volunteers Essential to Keeping People Safe at Home Through Community Support Services
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TORONTO, April 21, 2021 – Sunday, April 18, marked the start of National Volunteer Week in Canada. It’s a coast-to-coast-to-coast celebration of the commitment, dedication, generosity and selflessness of Canada’s almost 12.7 million volunteers. Today we’re releasing a Done-For-You Recruitment Campaign
to help CSS organizations connect more easily, and more effectively, with the volunteers they need to keep supporting our communities.
As we enter the second year of this pandemic, volunteers are more important and more needed than ever, especially in community support organizations that deliver Meals on Wheels.
As a vital component of home and community services, the community support services (CSS) sector relies heavily on volunteers to deliver services to the most vulnerable people in our communities, including seniors and people with disabilities. The pandemic has put tremendous pressure on the sector, causing massive spikes in demand for services that have yet to level out. Volunteers are key to sustainability.
“Before the pandemic, many volunteers in our sector were over 70 years of age,” says Deborah Simon, CEO of the Ontario Community Support Association. “Understandably, they’ve had to step back during COVID-19 and this week we want to celebrate those who managed to continue volunteering as well as those new volunteers that have stepped forward.”
Early in the pandemic, some organizations lost as much as 80% of their volunteer base as seniors stayed home. The pandemic has highlighted the need for renewal and diversity amongst volunteers in organizations that provide essential community-based care such as Meals on Wheels that helps vulnerable people stay home safely.
“Volunteers create positive change all across our province,” stated Hon. Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility. “They are showing the true Ontario Spirit in helping to keep our communities safe and connected.” Since April 2020, his Ministry has funded $11 million into the Ontario Community Support Program (OCSP) to coordinate and subsidize deliveries of meals, medicines and other necessities to low-income seniors and people with disabilities who are isolating during the pandemic.
“This National Volunteer Week, we also want to recognize the challenge that many organizations have faced in recruiting and onboarding new volunteers -- including youth, newcomers, and people in early or pre-retirement -- in the midst of all the other pressures of COVID-19,” says Simon. “Our “Done-For-You” Recruitment Campaign hopes to ease those challenges.” “
The Recruitment Campaign
and the Volunteer Management Link Hub
that houses it were developed by OCSA with OCSP funding. CSS organizations can visit the Link Hub for useful, relevant tips, tools, and training on recruiting, onboarding, engaging, and protecting volunteers during COVID-19.
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About OCSA
The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) represents close to 230 not-for-profit organizations that provide home care and community support services to over one million Ontarians. Our members help seniors and people with disabilities live independently in their own homes and communities for as long as possible. These proactive and cost-effective services improve quality of life and prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, emergency room visits and premature institutionalization. They are the key to a sustainable health care system for Ontario. For more information, visit www.ocsa.on.ca or @OCSATweets.
For more information please contact:
Sandra Kahale – Media Coordinator
Ontario Community Support Association
647-997-1800
sandra@onwordconsulting.com
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ONTARIO, March 1, 2025 - This March, the Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) is proud to stand with communities across Ontario in support of March for Meals, an annual campaign highlighting the essential role of Meals on Wheels programs. Delivered in 181 communities across the province, these programs provide nutritious meals, social connection, and safety checks for vulnerable seniors and adults with disabilities. Meals on Wheels Ontario, with the support of belairdirect, encourages Ontarians to show their support for March for Meals and the local Meals on Wheels programs that serve their communities. Together, these programs deliver over 3 million meals annually and provide vital assistance to nearly 70,000 Ontarians. As the demand for nutritious and affordable meals grows, so too do the challenges faced by local programs—including underfunding and volunteer shortages. Now more than ever, community support is essential to ensuring these programs continue to provide a lifeline to those who need it most. “Meals on Wheels programs are a cornerstone of home and community care in Ontario, ensuring that seniors and adults with disabilities have access to healthy meals, social connection, and safety checks,” says Deborah Simon, CEO of OCSA. “However, these programs face growing demand and funding challenges. March for Meals is an opportunity for all Ontarians to rally around these essential services and support their sustainability so that no one is left behind.” During the month of March, community-based Meals on Wheels programs across the province will host special events, engage local officials, and encourage community participation to raise awareness and support for these critical services. OCSA invites Ontarians to learn more about the impact of Meals on Wheels and explore ways to get involved. For more information on March for Meals and how you can support your local Meals on Wheels program, visit Meals on Wheels Ontario . About OCSA The Ontario Community Support Association (OCSA) champions a strong, sustainable home and community care sector in Ontario. The association represents over 220 not-for-profit organizations that deliver high-quality services that help seniors, people with disabilities, and those with complex care needs remain independent in their homes and communities. These proactive and cost-effective services prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, emergency room visits and premature institutionalization. For more information visit www.ocsa.on.ca or @OCSATweets For media inquiries please contact: Karla Sealy (she/her) Manager of Communications 416-256-3010/1-800-267-6272, ext 242 karla.sealy@ocsa.on.ca
Voter support strongly linked to party policies on Home and Community Care
Calls on all candidates to pledge to support home and community care
CONTACT US
180 Dundas St. W., Suite 1400-B,Toronto, ON M5G 1Z8
416-256-3010 | 1-800-267-OCSA
info@ocsa.on.ca
Charitable Registration #:
13426 9505 RR0001
HOURS
Monday - Friday 8:30am-4:30pm
INFORMATION
OCSA is being hosted on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13, signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.
