UPDATE: Where to get free grocery-store gift cards for those who lost food during the ice storm
Here’s some news you can use if you were without power for several days and the inside of your fridge looks like an abandoned petri dish. The Ontario government has managed to amass more than $100,000 worth of gift cards from Loblaws, Shoppers Drug Mart, Metro, Sobeys and Louie Coppa Family (operators of Highland Farms), plus $100,000 more in matching donations directly from Queen’s Park. From today until Friday, the gift cards will be distributed to people in need who lost food during last week’s storm-related power failures. Individuals will receive $50 each, and families will get $100. (UPDATE: The vouchers are already in very short supply. See below.)
Everyone who wants a card should bring proof of address to one of these 15 Ontario Works offices:
Golden Mile Employment & Social Services 1880 Eglinton Ave. E.
Lawrence Square Employment & Social Services 700 Lawrence Ave. W. East Tower, 3rd Floor, Suite 330
Consilium Place Employment & Social Services 100 Consilium Pl., 10th Floor
Attwell Employment & Social Services 220 Atwell Dr., Suite 4
North York East Employment & Social Services 20 Lesmill Rd.
Scarborough West Employment & Social Services 1225 Kennedy Rd., Unit 1
York/Humber Employment & Social Services 605 Rogers Rd.
Scarborough North Employment & Social Services 325 Milner Ave., 9th floor
Beaches Employment & Social Services 1631 Queen St. E.
Wellesley Place Employment & Social Services 111 Wellesley St. E.
Etobicoke South Employment & Social Services 779 The Queensway
High Park Parkdale Employment & Social Services 1900 Dundas St. W.
North York Central Employment & Social Services 1117 Finch Ave. W.
Metro Hall Employment & Social Services 214 Wellington St. W.
Yonge Eglinton Employment & Social Services 150 Eglinton Ave. E., Suite 900
UPDATE: Looks like the gift card program has hit a pretty major snag. The first-come-first-serve system of distribution means that many of the above-listed centres ran out of cards before noon today—the first day of the program. Deputy mayor Norm Kelly is asking people to be patient, and saying that more cards will arrive at the centres as the week goes on. 65,000 vouchers were on-hand this morning.
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