What is the Gift Card Program?
With record increases in child and family poverty in Toronto, many families served by the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto (CCAS) have struggled to afford food, diapers, formula, personal care items and basic household needs. Your donations provide families with gift cards from Canadian retailers so they can provide for their children, preventing a temporary cash shortfall from snowballing.
How it helps:
Vulnerable families need a hand
Toronto is the child poverty capital of Canada, and the depth of poverty is growing, particularly among low-income, one-parent, Indigenous, racialized, immigrant and newcomer children. Gift cards from the CCAF offer a lifeline for CCAS-involved families, who are challenged by financial instability, unemployment, education gaps and mental health concerns.
Your impact:
CCAF-funded gift cards cover unexpected needs that fall through the cracks
Gift cards don’t just deliver financial aid—they offer stability, dignity and hope. Thanks to donors like you, CCAF-funded gift cards have:
- Helped an unemployed mother buy a stroller or her toddler after escaping from domestic violence.
- Filled the lunch boxes of children who recently arrived in Canada, but whose family hadn’t yet qualified for community support.
- Been a godsend for a single mom who was unable to work while caring for her teenage daughter with cancer.
Read more inspiring stories

Oluwatobi’s story: From foster care to becoming a lawyer
Donors to the CCAF helped this youth create a bright future for herself

O’Brien family: A legacy of support for kids and youth
Three generations give their time and money to offer hope for young people

Darius’s story: support for a struggling father
A past pilot program engaged vulnerable dads, helping to provide safety for their children and families
See more programs

HARP Program
With compassion and community partnerships, HARP helps children and youth by supporting struggling families and keeping kids out of care

Youth Readiness Program
Building skills and connections to help youth transition safely to independence when they age out of care

Scholarships
CCAF provides scholarships to current and former youth in extended society care for university, college and trade school