Mississauga residents in need to benefit from $250,000 Amazon donation

Numerous Mississauga residents are better off today than they were yesterday thanks to a $250,000 donation from business giant Amazon to two charitable organizations in the city.

To mark the company’s first-ever Amazon Peel Community Day, the U.S.-based e-commerce company’s Canadian division cut cheques today (April 14) for $125,000 for both the Seva Food Bank and Indus Community Services (ICS).

Thursday’s events also saw Amazon employees from across Peel join local dignitaries, including Mayor Bonnie Crombie and Mississauga Centre MP Omar Alghabra (also federal Transport Minister), to mark the company’s support of Seva and Indus.

Specifically, the money will support the new Amazon Community Teaching Kitchen at Seva Food Bank and the Amazon Senior Wellness Space at Indus Community Services.

“At Amazon, we are passionate about providing our team with opportunities to give back and support the local communities where we operate,” said Amazon spokesperson Amrita Dhillon, senior operations manager at the company. “Our goal is to not only have a positive, lasting effect on these communities, but to also inspire our employees to get involved in local charitable projects they care about.”

Amazon officials, along with Crombie and Alghabra, gathered in the new teaching kitchen today with celebrity chef Devan Rajkumar to prepare a vegetarian bean salad for Seva Food Bank’s Langar on Wheels program, which provides in-need community members with culturally-appropriate meals.
“Use of the Seva Food Bank has increased by more than 50 per cent throughout the pandemic—it is donations like Amazon’s that help us continue to serve the local community,” said Kulvir Singh Gill, Seva Food Bank board chair. “The new Amazon Community Teaching Kitchen will be used as a skills factory,
which will help our food bank users secure jobs in the food service industry and ultimately improve their quality of life.”

Officials also gathered at ICS to get a sneak peek of the new Amazon Senior Wellness Space and help paint a wall during the construction process.

Once completed, the space will be used for a variety of wellness and development programs for seniors, including art, dance, yoga and more.
“The new Amazon Senior Wellness Space is an exciting addition to Indus Community Services and will provide seniors in our community with a source of joy and belonging,” said ICS CEO Gurpreet Malhotra. “We are grateful that Amazon chose to partner with us and we’re thrilled to see members of their team take the time off to join us today.”

For the past 35 years, ICS has provided culturally appropriate services to newcomers, families, women and seniors in Mississauga.

“Amazon’s donations to the Seva Food Bank and Indus Community Services will have an incredible impact on a very important segment of Peel,” said Alghabra.

In 2020, Amazon donated more than $10 million to charities and not-for-profit organizations across Canada, including charities that focus on immediate needs such as food, shelter and basic goods for children and their families.