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Between 2012 and 2017, the Syrian Civil War was at its most intense, forcing many families to flee their homeland and come to Canada. With the support of “Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada,” the Arab Community Centre of Toronto (ACCT) became a haven for them, accompanying these newcomers as they began hopeful new lives.
Since 2016, the Tzu Chi West Toronto Office has established a partnership with the ACCT. Every year at the end of August, just before school starts, Tzu Chi prepares backpacks and stationery based on lists provided by the center, delivering them to the hands of newcomer children so they can face the new semester with peace of mind. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Tzu Chi went a step further by donating food bags containing rice, lentils, and cooking oil, walking into the community alongside ACCT staff to deliver warmth directly to the homes of newcomers.
Preparation and Event Planning
Winters in eastern Canada are harsh and long. Beginning in late November, temperatures of minus ten to minus twenty degrees Celsius often persist. To help children stay warm in the biting wind, ACCT submits its needs each year in late October.
This year (2025), they specifically hoped to collect 50 winter coats for newcomer youth aged 12 to 17. This is not only protective clothing against the cold, but also a gesture of community care—so that children far from home can feel the reassurance of being looked after.
In the past, distributions were mostly held at the ACCT office. However, due to a culturally more casual approach to time, many newcomers were often late or did not show up, making it difficult for Tzu Chi volunteers to engage in deeper interaction with them—let alone introduce Tzu Chi’s values.
This time, as the ACCT is less than ten kilometers from the West Toronto Office, Tzu Chi specially invited them to come to the Tzu Chi center. They also took the opportunity to share that next year will mark Tzu Chi’s 60th anniversary, and hoped that by the end of 2025 everyone could gather at the venue to better understand Tzu Chi’s spirit, deepen mutual acquaintance, and lay a stronger foundation for future collaboration.
After a month of communication, ACCT Community Director Sahar Ghayas came to the Tzu Chi center on December 18 with six volunteers to pack supplies with Tzu Chi volunteers and prepare the venue. The event was set to officially begin at 11:00 AM on December 20. This was not just a distribution of goods, but a warm encounter and a cross-cultural exchange.
Preparing Supplies: Gratitude, Respect, and Love
ACCT is a government-supported organization and must distribute according to its roster of newcomer care recipients. Tzu Chi likewise adheres to the principles of “respect” and “love” in donated goods—donating items one would also like to use oneself. This reflects the giving practice of “the emptiness of the three spheres,” meaning not clinging to the receiver or the item, but doing good with sincere intent.
Volunteers asked the ACCT to provide coat sizes by age and gender based on the roster. Yue-ching Chang, head of the West Toronto Office is also a savvy shopper who does her utmost to find high-quality yet affordable goods. To match the season, she also purchased Christmas gift bags to present as gifts to care recipients.
At 10:30 AM on December 18, ACCT volunteers began arriving at the Tzu Chi center. Together with Tzu Chi volunteers, they packed the coats into the gift bags according to the roster and labeled them with names to facilitate the distribution on December 20.
After packing, the ACCT volunteers visited the Tzu Chi Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) clinic upstairs; it turned out two of the volunteers had previously sought treatment there. Volunteer Yen-wen Chen gave a brief introduction to the clinic, and afterward, everyone had a meal together at the office, where they were invited to the Year-End Blessing ceremony on February 7, 2026.
The Distribution Event: Introducing Tzu Chi
At 11:00 AM on December 20, 15 families—comprising parents and children totaling about 45 people—gathered together with volunteers from both sides, making a group of about 60 people.
Yen-wen Chen hosted the event in both Mandarin and English. By tradition, Tzu Chi events begin with a respectful greeting to the Buddha and Bodhisattvas and to the portrait of Master Cheng Yen. As all guests today were Muslims, they were invited—if they wished—to stand and offer greetings in whatever manner felt comfortable to them. At that moment, ACCT Director Sahar provided Arabic interpretation and asked everyone to stand. The audience rose respectfully, waiting for the Tzu Chi greeting.
Although Tzu Chi and the ACCT have partnered for many years, because next year (2026) will be Tzu Chi’s 60th anniversary, everyone was specially invited today to get to know Tzu Chi, with the hope that future cooperation will proceed even more smoothly.
Next, Yue-ching Chang, head of the West Toronto Office, delivered remarks about Tzu Chi’s origins, the Bamboo Bank Era, and the beginnings of Tzu Chi in Canada. This was followed by videos introducing Tzu Chi. The audiovisual team prepared an English introduction produced by Tzu Chi Canada; a video filmed by US360 to raise funds for the El Menahil International School in Türkiye; and footage of teachers and students from El Menahil praying for those affected by Taiwan’s Hualien 0403 earthquake.
The entire video segment not only showcased Tzu Chi’s widespread influence but also emphasized the importance of cross-border collaboration and compassionate action, allowing everyone to resonate more deeply with Tzu Chi’s ideals and mission.
Since the newcomers had limited English proficiency, Director Sahar translated Yue-ching Chang’s speech into Arabic, explaining Tzu Chi and the Bamboo Bank Era. Volunteer Massa Moselly helped interpret the video segment.
Director Sahar then delivered remarks in Arabic, followed by English. She emphasized: “Although our religions are different, our compassion is the same. I hope everyone can spread love, that everyone stays safe, and that there would be more projects with Tzu Chi in the future.”
As seating was not arranged by name and many families on the list did not attend, the distribution proceeded by calling out names. Tzu Chi volunteers presented the items much like awarding prizes, inviting children-or parents collecting on their behalf-to come to the front to receive their gifts and take a commemorative photo. Everyone was very happy upon receiving their “prizes”.
After receiving the “prizes,” Tzu Chi prepared pizza and dates (a staple in Middle Eastern cultures), along with seasonal candy canes for the children. Smiles filled the faces of parents and children, and the atmosphere was lively.
Although we could not understand Arabic, we believe Director Sahar specifically mentioned the bamboo banks during her remarks. At the end of the event, the children gathered around the table with the bamboo banks. These banks were decorated with the winning designs from the 2024 Tzu Chi Academy of Mississauga’s 20th Anniversary Bamboo Bank design contest, which attracted much attention from the children. The children took the bamboo banks home, with the hope that they would give a little love each day—and bring the bamboo banks “back home” (Tzu Chi) next time.
Mutual Satisfaction Laying the Foundation for Collaboration
ACCT Director Sahar expressed that the event was wonderful and very joyful. She noted that Tzu Chi has always done excellent work in this area and that many families truly needed these warm gifts. She thanked Tzu Chi for its longstanding support and help. Seeing in the video that the students at El Menahil were very polite and had given love to help Taiwan after the earthquake, she couldn’t help but ask whether there might be a chance to cooperate with Tzu Chi so their children could learn manners and Chinese
Teacher Yi-ju Hsieh from the Tzu Chi Academy, Mississauga, who immigrated to Canada in 2023, was a Tzu Chi Collegiate Association (Tzu Ching) member while in university in Taiwan. Although she is now a Christian, this was her first time volunteering with Tzu Chi since arriving in Canada.
Seeing the children’s joyful expressions when they received gifts deeply moved her. She also heard parents say that as long as someone is helped, they too can go on to help others – the power of passing on love is significant. Especially in the cold winter, as some newcomers are single mothers, this distribution was a great help to them.
Some parents also gave feedback to Teacher Hsieh that the items donated by Tzu Chi – whether backpacks or coats – were all of very high quality, which saves newcomer children from being bullied by classmates at school.
ACCT volunteer Samrawit Tesfamariam participated in both days of the event. On the packing day (the 18th), she originally expected to be finished in half an hour, but to her surprise, after packing, she was given a tour of the TCM clinic and even invited to lunch. For today’s distribution, she had thought only 20 people would come, but 50 showed up.
Massa served as a volunteer today and unexpectedly took on interpretation duties. This was her second time participating in an ACCT distribution event. She mentioned that while she had participated in many similar events in the past, today’s event was particularly moving because everyone’s face was full of smiles. The volunteers’ care made her feel that Tzu Chi’s spirit is not only material giving, but also the transmission of love and care—and timely help to others. For her, it was deeply touching.
She also reflected: “Am I giving enough? How can I do better?” This was very helpful for her as a volunteer. It is also crucial for someone working at a charitable organization: first to maintain values of compassion, and then to reflect them in their daily, basic work. “I truly hope we can continue this kind of collaboration with Tzu Chi.”
This time, inviting ACCT staff, volunteers, and care recipients to the Tzu Chi West Toronto office required a long period of correspondence, but seeing the satisfaction of both parties with this event laid an even better foundation for long-term collaboration in the future.
Each year, Master Cheng Yen’s Three Wishes are: to purify human minds, to harmonize society, and to free the world from disasters. These children are the future pillars of society. It is hoped that through distribution events like this, Tzu Chi’s ideals can help inspire the social purification and harmony.