Learn about Toques From The Heart, a mission to help Canadians experiencing homelessness
Every time someone purchases a toque from Toques From The Heart, they donate a toque or scarf to a Canadian in need. The donated toques are made from repurposed hockey socks donated from local rinks and hockey communities.
Toques from the Heart was founded in 2019 by Casey, Matt, and Matthew, three McMaster University Students in Hamilton, Ontario. The three became friends and unified in a common vision to start a business with a meaningful and positive impact.
After seeing first hand the problem of homelessness in their communities, and the difficulties that they face during the cold Canadian winters, Toques From The Heart set out on a mission to support Canadians experiencing homelessness, one toque at a time.
Starting from scratch, they had to find a simple way to get and give warm clothing. It turns out Matthew’s mom used to repurpose his hockey socks into toques for him as a kid. Once they saw how warm and durable the toques were, they immediately jumped on this concept and began collecting hockey socks.
Their community is the heart of our story. The support received has been the reason they can continue to grow and help more people in need.
In the winter of 2020/2021, they gave 2,500 toques to Canadians experiencing homelessness, all thanks to community support. They partnered with 15 amazing organizations across Ontario to help distribute these toques.
To help give Canada wide, they partnered with 25 giving partners across the country. Working with organizations that know their communities the best, they can be assured that the toques will be going to the people who need it most, when they need it most.
They became obsessed with creating the perfect toque and consulted with some of the best Canadian toque experts. They helped create toques specifically designed to withstand the cold Canadian winters that fit and feel great on your head. They perfected both the toque so we can all stay warm together.
As Toques From The Heart grows, so does their giving. While they still repurpose the hockey socks, they also needed more toques to give. So they also created toques specifically designed to meet the needs of those in need to help us give quality toques fast.
They began to repurpose hockey socks into scarves as a unique and sustainable way of giving more warm and durable items.
They are dedicated to reaching our goal of giving 35,000 toques - which is the number of Canadians that experience homelessness on any given night.