(upbeat music)
- Hey everyone, I'm Gunnarolla
and I've teamed up with Hyundai Canada
to spread the warmth this holiday season.
They gave me $3,000 and challenged me
to give back to causes and communities that matter to me
over the course of three days.
I've always wanted to support newcomers to Canada,
immigrants and refugees.
Winters in Canada are a big adjustment
and the holidays can add a lot of pressure to families.
So with the help of viewers like you
and a very festive Hyundai Santa Fe XL,
I organized a clothing donation
to an organization called New Circles,
a food donation to a community food centre called The Stop
and I even found a Syrian family
to take sightseeing downtown.
Hopefully this inspires you to surprise and delight
people and communities who are important to you.
Let's see how it all went.
Okay, so we're looking for stuff
that will keep people warm, that looks good.
- Right.
- And that maximizes the value of our dollar.
Our donation is going to include winter essentials
like coats, sweaters, scarves, and gloves
most of which are new and some of which
have been gently used and donated from our own closets.
Half of our donation will be clothing
and the other half will be cash.
For just $50, New Circles can clothe someone
for an entire year.
Alrighty, had a super productive morning.
Now it's time to get a warm meal.
As a thank you to our volunteers,
we're going for ramen,
one of the best ways to warm up on a cold day.
Alright, we made it to New Circles.
We're gonna drop off all of the winter stuff that we bought
to the donation center right there.
- So New Circles' Glow Clothing Bank
which stands for gently loved outfits to wear
is the largest in the city.
We serve over 12,000 people,
predominantly newcomers and refugees.
Glow is set up to resemble a department store.
They give our clients a retail shopping experience.
So we have a checkout counter,
we have shopping bags,
they can select all the clothing off racks.
Not only does that give them a sense of dignity
and choice in choosing the clothing that they're looking for
but we also use it as a platform
for training employable skills
and retail skills in particular.
- Okay, so our first mission is done.
Thank you so much for your guys' help.
- Thanks for inviting us. - Thank you so much.
- Thank you, yeah.
And we've only just begun.
Day two, it's our food drive day.
We're gonna pick up some food items to donate
to a really cool community food centre called The Stop
and we're gonna do it
in our Santa Fe XL.
Wish I could keep it.
Alrighty, I'm here with-- - Kat.
- I checked it with The Stop to see what they need
and they have four specific requirements
so we're gonna get those right now.
Let's go!
When organizing a food drive
it's always a good idea to check with the food bank
to see if there are specific items that they need.
After all, we're trying to provide
good quality nutritious food
that people will want to eat
not expired cans from your basement.
So this is a pretty big vehicle
but I can back it up easily
because they have somehow shown me
what the car looks like from the top.
There's no camera up there.
They have cameras around the car
so I can see what's happening around the car.
It's a 360 view
and then they just place a graphic of my car right there.
- The Stop Community Food Centre
is a place that people can come.
They can eat a really warm and healthy meal
and they can access the food bank.
But most importantly,
it's a place where they come and socialize
and interact with other people.
- The food bank at The Stop
features fresh produce, milk, eggs, and whole grains.
In addition to the food that we're dropping off,
we'll be making a cash donation
that will be used toward more fresh food items
for people in need.
- So we're gonna take the big bags of rice
that we're donating today
and package them into smaller portions
and then each individual that uses the food bank
gets to select which items that they'd like
for their monthly hamper.
- Nutritious and healthy food
is essential to life
and The Stop offers a dignified way
of providing it to people who need it.
Just made our drop off donation.
You do a lot of this stuff already.
- I do. - So you're already familiar
with The Stop. - Yeah.
They do good work.
- Yeah, cool.
Didn't know about it, now I know,
and now you know
so get out there and help out when you can.
Today is a pretty exciting day.
We are going to pick up a family of refugees from Syria
and take them sightseeing around Toronto.
Being a first generation Canadian,
I witnessed firsthand
how difficult it was for my parents
to settle in a new country
but I can't imagine what it must be like
to have to flee your home and start a new life.
- [Mother] It's amazing day, we see CN Tower.
I'm so happy, the kids are so happy also.
Thank you so much for-- - Yeah, no, again thank you.
- For everything. - Yeah, for taking the time.
I was so lucky to meet
and spend time with this Syrian family.
I learned so much about the refugee experience
and how important charities
like New Circles and The Stop can be
for newcomers to Canada.
I was honoured to have the privilege of taking them around
to some of Toronto's tourist attractions.
Hyundai Canada gave me an incredible opportunity
to spread the warmth
and I encourage you to think about
how you can make a difference in your communities
by donating goods, services, money, and your time.
Winters in Canada may be harsh
but there are so many ways to stay warm.
If you're in Toronto,
they'll be offering complimentary shuttle service home
from the Toronto Christmas Market
in one of the festive Hyundai Santa Fe XLs
from December 12th to 23rd.
And if you wanna learn more about this campaign,
you can see how other creators spread the warmth
and enter to win a 2018 all-new Hyundai Accent.
Visit spreadthewarmth.ca.
Thanks for watching,
I'll see you next time.
A la prochaine.