In It Together

How one Facebook group inspired thousands of Canadians to help each other through the pandemic

- Courtney Shea

WHEN THE COVID-19 pandemic hit in March, 53-year-old Toronto disability support worker Mita Hans worried that her elderly neighbour might have trouble. Hans asked if she could help out. At first, the neighbour was more annoyed than appreciative, curtly telling Hans to stop “scaremongering” her. “I’m not trying to scare you; I care about you,” Hans responded. A few days later, she dropped o groceries and has done so several times since. “She’s my biggest fan now,” Hans says.

Hans knew her neighbour wasn’t the only person who’d require an extra hand in the coming weeks, as shelves emptied and the entire country went into lockdown. Along with her 46-year old friend Valentina Harper, who works in e-commerce, Hans launched a Facebook group called “CaremongersTO.” They imagined the group would connect a few dozen neighbours with others who needed help.