Clothes drive for needy families to be held by Canadian South Indian community

People in Canada who wish to donate gently used winter clothing to families and children in need in India can do so on 6 December, during a donation drive being led by a Canadian South Indian community organization across the Greater Toronto Area, and the Peel, Durham, Kitchener-Waterloo-Cambridge (KWC), Hamilton, Niagara, and Halton regions.

The clothes will go to children aged 16 and under and is being organized by All Tamil Communities of Canada (ATCC), an organization created by Canada’s Tamil-speaking diaspora.

If you’d like to make a difference that will go a long way towards helping a needy family this winter, please fill in this form. An ATCC volunteer will come to your preferred location to collect the clothes you wish to donate. Once gathered, they will be sent to trusted NGOs in Tamil Nadu.

Which cities are covered in the collection drive?

A total of 19 locations across Southern Ontario are being targeted for the clothes donation drive:

• Greater Toronto Area: Toronto (including Scarborough and North York), and Markham
• Peel Region: Mississauga, Brampton, Milton
• Durham Region: Ajax, Pickering, Oshawa, Whitby
• KWC Region: Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, London, Guelph
• Halton Region: Burlington and Milton
• Rest of Southern Ontario: Hamilton and Niagara Falls

Tamil diaspora in the GTA and Canada

Canada is home to more than 200,000 people who are of ethnic Tamil origin – according to the nation’s 2021 census. 

The GTA is one of the main concentrations of Tamilians in Canada: there are about 53,000 people in Toronto who claim to speak Tamil, making it one of the top non-official languages in the city.

Within Toronto, the region of Scarborough is home to a vibrant Tamil community. Outside it, surrounding areas such as Markham, Mississauga and Brampton all have Tamil populations.