In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, communities are banding together by sharing resources to support some of our most vulnerable members.

In a moment of serendipity, Trent University Durham came across a call for help through social media from the Back Door Mission in Oshawa.

Due to an increase in food donations to support the community, the Back Door Mission was now seeking additional resources from those who can help in order to deliver services to those in need.

In a time when supporting and giving back to the community is so imperative, staff at t Trent Durham recognized the University could help by lending kitchen equipment in the form of commercial refrigeration and freezer units.

“The entire Durham community has been incredibly supportive of us and our initiatives over the years, and we want to remain engaged with our community and give as much as we can during this difficult time,” said Trent University Durham GTA dean and head, Dr. Scott Henderson.

The contribution of lending the refrigerators and freezers was a coordinated effort between Trent University staff, including Hailey Wright, community relations and articulations manager at Trent Durham, and Mark Murdoch, director of food services, who was able to help disconnect and load the freezers for transport to the Back Door Mission.

The Back Door Mission is working alongside other community agencies to provide services to members of the unsheltered population in Downtown Oshawa.

“The overall project is called Mission United and it is part of the larger scale-up of services in this centralized facility we're developing in partnership with CMHA, Region of Durham Health & Social Services, John Howard Society, and numerous others,” explains City of Oshawa Councillor, Derek Giberson.

Finding new ways to support and connect with the community will continue to be essential as needs and priorities shift in the coming weeks.

For more info or to donate to the Back Door Mission please visit https://www.backdoormission.ca/