Help Zahra raise money

Agincourt Community Services Association (ACSA) recently celebrated 50 years of serving its communities! More than 50 years ago, 8 faith-based leaders came together to address the needs they were seeing in Scarborough-Agincourt. More than 50 years later, amongst needs stemming from forced migration, economic downturns and rising cost of living, ACSA’s work is still very much relevant today. As a current ACSA Board Director, Vice Chair, and a previous resident born and raised in Scarborough-Agincourt, I wish to give back to the community that played a significant role in contributing to the person I am today.

Nowhere is this urgent need to step up more apparent than in the staggering demand facing our food security networks. Total annual visits across Daily Bread member food banks have surged to over 4.1 million visits (specifically, 4,124,313 visits between April 2024 and March 2025). This marks an 18% increase from the previous year and a staggering 340% increase compared to pre-pandemic 2019. Monthly visits averaged over 344,000, meaning more than 1 in 10 Torontonians now rely on a food bank.

On Saturday, October 17th, I’ll be running the Toronto Waterfront Marathon 5K in support of ACSA - a multi-service agency that provides programs and services for families, children, youth, seniors, the homeless, newcomers, and vulnerable populations within the community. While the worst of the pandemic might be behind us, ACSA continues to grapple with the secondary effects of the pandemic and an unstable economy, some of which are food insecurity, housing instability and homelessness.
 
Some recent highlights:
 
In 2024, ACSA received the Toronto Community Champion Award - the award recognized and acknowledged the extraordinary contributions that community organizations make to support the health and solidarity of the residents of Toronto, particularly those from Black, Indigenous, and other equity-deserving communities.

 ACSA was selected to be an Anchor Agency with United Way Greater Toronto for another 5 years!

ACSA received the Black Ideas Grant from the Foundation for Black Communities – this support allowed us to bring amazing programs like Caribana Kids Club to life, fostering creativity, cultural pride, and community connection for our young participants.

 ACSA was recognized as Best in Class for Outstanding Food Program after introducing their new Food Centre, a warm and welcoming food bank that Scarborough residents facing food insecurity can turn to for support – the Food Centre now sees approximately 800+ households a week!

 I ask you to join me on this journey, and support the tremendous work that ACSA has done and continues to do in addressing the growing disparities in Scarborough-Agincourt and beyond. Your support will make all the difference to ACSA's communities.
  
 For new supporters who have stumbled across this post, thank you! And for those who continue to support year after year, your impact to the families of ACSA means more than you know.