Today we’re spotlighting Jonathan, a volunteer with our Food Bank 2 Home Program and Tax Clinic!
In 2020, Jonathan had been retired for a few years when he decided he wanted to get more involved with his community. “After bingeing on TV watching, gym, running, hiking and reading, I wanted to do something with more community involvement and social interaction,” he shares.
Jonathan applied online to volunteer at Food Banks Mississauga and was called in to assist the the finance team with some administrative tasks. Before long, he had moved on to food sorting, and then our Food Bank 2 Home Program (where he continues to volunteer on a weekly basis to this day).
“Volunteering is a wonderful way to engage with the community, offer a helping hand to those who need it, meet a diverse group of people, do a variety of tasks, and yet not be beholden to a 9 to 5 routine.”
When Jonathan heard of our Tax Clinic, he jumped at the opportunity to get involved. After attending a couple of online training sessions, he volunteered at his first Tax Clinic – which took place in person at Eden Battleford, one of the 60+ agency members in our network that provides food to neighbours across Mississauga. A few days later, the program was suspended due to COVID-19 but was revived a couple of months later in a virtual format, which has been maintained since then.
Jonathan shares that, after a couple of years of filing his taxes with a tax accountant, he began to file his own and found the process both simple and interesting. He figured that volunteering with our Tax Clinic would be a good way to broaden his experiences and skills, as well as allow him to give something back to the community. He shares:
“The Tax Clinic is greatly appreciated by most clients, and does not in fact require a great deal of tax knowledge: we are restricted to fairly simple returns, and the support system, both from Food Banks Mississauga and the CRA is excellent. I have enjoyed the clinics immensely, and have had quite a few memorable experiences.”
Jonathan shared two of these memorable experiences with us: the first, helping a truck driver file his taxes and learning that his place of residence was a motel room on Dundas, which he had been renting for over 20 years. Another was a man who had lost all his assets – including his condo – to mental illness and was trying to sort his taxes out to be able to collect his benefits.
“We got a special dispensation to bring him into the office during the pandemic restrictions and did our best to file 3 or 4 years of taxes for him. He called me a year later and seemed to be doing much better.”
Whether it’s helping his neighbours file their tax returns or packing orders for the Food Bank 2 Home program, we’re thankful for Jonathan’s desire to use his skills and experience for the betterment of his community. We’re currently looking for volunteers to help with our Tax Clinic program, so if you think you’d be a good fit, consider becoming a Tax Clinic volunteer like Jonathan! We’d love to have you.
Become a Tax Clinic Volunteer
Inspired by Jonathan and his volunteer work with the Tax Clinic at Food Banks Mississauga? We’d love for you to join us as a Tax Clinic volunteer. Learn more and apply today!