My favourite social media platform is definitely Instagram. It’s a kinder and more gentler place than others. I wanted to shout-out a story that I’ve been following on Instagram. It’s called Project Hope.

Project Hope was started by two Toronto police officers, Farzad Ghotbi and Mustafa Popalzai. Both of them are immigrants to Canada from Iran and from Afghanistan. In August 2021, when Officer Popalzai saw Afghan refugees trying to get on a plane, he started Project Hope to gather supplies for those arriving in Canada. This is a humble beginning. Since its inception, they’ve gathered over $425,000 worth of supplies for Afghan refugees.

On February 10, when the earthquake struck Türkiye and Syria, they again put out a call for donations of brand-new baby supplies, first aid supplies, blankets, clothing, etc. By the last day of the drive, February 28, they had gathered over $120,000 of donations of brand new items. Thanks to their work, their dedication and countless hours spent by Toronto police officers across the city, those donations have been gathered up and are on their way. I want to thank both of those gentlemen for their incredible work.