Maple Leafs Give Back by Serving Thanksgiving Meals to At-Risk Youth

Three members of the Toronto Maple Leafs, William Nylander, Max Domi, & Simon Benoit, assisted volunteers at Covenant House, a youth shelter for children in need either unhoused or without a stable home environment.

This is part of a long tradition that the Leafs have volunteered with Covenant House to provide Thanksgiving meals, having done so last year as well with Anthony Stolarz, Chris Tanev, & Nick Robertson doing the volunteering.

According to Covenant House, over 40,000 youth across Canada face the challenge of homelessness, with the foundation having provided services to support youth in need since 1982 in not just housing support, but in future housing and building skills for future sustainability.

A 2024 report estimates that Toronto has over 15 thousand unhoused individuals, with approximately 1,615 instances of «outdoors encampments» in the city. The City of Toronto says that the COVID-19 pandemic had accelerated a major growth in homelessness, a number that is beginning to decrease, however.

Major League Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) has been active in funding programs designed at serving underprivileged youth, and being able to provide potential sporting opportunities across different diverse communities, and assisting in the creation of playable spaces for local sports.

The Leafs are supporting youth in need by providing a warm meal for Thanksgiving to youngsters who have been impacted by homelessness, bringing to the local community in Toronto a way to help and support beyond the ice.