This week, Lumira Ventures is proud to have supported five additional high impact COVID-19 initiatives as part of our Double Bottom Line Challenge
While some provinces and states are gradually beginning to reopen, unfortunately the magnitude and reach of the crisis are becoming clearer ever day. Earlier this week one of our partners took an early morning walk in Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s riding of Toronto Centre and was shocked to count more than 70 people/families living in tents on the street. Sadly it is very clear that the number of affected individuals, families and businesses continues to increase and it is evident that the shutdown will have lasting impact on many. The recovery will require a collective contribution from everyone who is able to help so as to ensure that all, and especially those hit hardest, can weather the storm and come out stronger together on the other side.
While we recognize the challenges ahead, Lumira Ventures continues to be inspired by the selflessness and dedication of the individuals and organizations who are making a difference for those hit hardest by COVID-19. Many of the people we have interacted with through our outreach are volunteering their time and safety for no other reason than believing it is the right thing to do. We are incredibly proud of these community responses and honored to support the meaningful work these organizations are doing. This past week our team continued broadening our reach across Canada and engaged with a new batch of organizations achieving Double Bottom Line impact:
Sustain the Line: sustaintheline.com. An organization that supports provides meals crafted by local restaurants to healthcare workers on the frontlines in cities across Canada and the US. Lumira has initially supported initiatives in Montreal and Toronto, and looks forward to supporting the expansion.
Say Mercy!: saymercy.ca. Vancouver-based restaurant Say Merci! has initiated a program called Staff Meal that employs restaurant staff from their restaurants and others across the city to cook and deliver meals to those in need.
ResQ Helps: resqhelps.com. The Toronto-based tech startup ResQ, which has developed a restaurant repair and maintenance app, is leveraging their platform to buy meals from restaurants and deliver them to hospitals, grocery stores, shelters, and supply chain providers on the front lines.
Meals on Wheels Calgary: mealsonwheels.com/covid19support. Meals on wheels Calgary recently launched a new relief effort for ANY Calgarian whose life has been altered due to COVID-19, affecting their ability to easily access nutritious meals.
WoodGreen Foundation: woodgreen.org. WoodGreen is a Toronto-based social services agency that provides support to those in need in our community. They have a dedicated COVID-19 initiative to provide groceries/meals and PPEs to seniors, those with disabilities and others most vulnerable.
We continue to invite our colleagues in the venture capital and private equity community to join us in this mission. Please feel free reach out to a member of our team if you would like to work with us or suggest any high value initiatives achieving Double Bottom Line Impact that you think we should consider supporting.
Sincerely,
The Lumira Ventures Team