Cover Me Urban 2015 In Support of Youth Without Shelter

Youth Without Shelter, Etobicoke’s charity which offers emergency residence referral services to homeless young people between the age of 16 and 24, held their annual fundraising event, Cover Me Urban on Wednesday at the Glass Factory (99 Sudbury St.), with the help of Prospect Media.

For the occasion, the location was transformed into a splendid concentrate of Toronto’s diverse neighbourhoods: Kensington Market, Little Italy, Rexdale, King West, High Park, The Junction, and more. Each area presented one of its specialties, most of them offered a culinary experience enjoyed by the attendees, while beatbox performances by a UNITY member, percussions by Stomper Troy Sexton, live mixing by DJ-J-Me, collaborative painting, a temporary tattoo station, a fashion show inspired by Toronto’s urban scene by Puh-Nash, and a huge silent auction were going on.

The event started with a VIP hour at the Ultra Urban Lounge sponsored by Tangerine, featuring wine tasting by Oyster Bay Wines, beer tasting by Mill Street Brewery, desserts and pastries by More than Pies, and cooking demos by Coastline Catering and Fernandes.

The evening continued with the general admission, which included “Taste of the City”, sponsored by UPS Canada. A neighbourhood guidance by CP24’s Breakfast Weekend’s Jamie Gutfreund and two former YWS residents guided guests through amazing street food stations manned by talented Torontonian chefs, like 2015 Chopped Canada winner Keith Hoare, Culinary Olympic gold medal-winner Tony Fernandes, executive chef at the Crowne Plaza Toronto Airport, Chef Ron Stevenson, as well as chefs from Cocomira, Medium Rare, Aura by Cashew & Clive, Cheese Boutique, ViBo, Big House Pizza, Executive Caterers, Sultan of Samosas, Today’s Menu, and More Than Pies.

Aroma Espresso Bar, Mill Street Brewery, Oyster Bay Wines, and Pepsi Canada opulently quenched the audience thirst.

28% of the homeless people in Toronto and these neighbourhoods are youth between the ages of 16-24 and up to 2,000 young Torontonians will seek a safe place to sleep tonight. Youth without Shelters heavily relies on donations and fundraising to help give them a warm bed, shelter, and food. YWS supports them by providing life skills guidance, counselling, employment advice, support for continued education and placement in affordable housing.

Make sure to subscribe to YWS‘s mailing list if you want to give them a hand and be part of this event for a great cause next year!

(photos by Zefred)