With a few weeks to go, ShareLife finds itself 86 per cent of the way to its $14.5 million parish campaign goal.

And amid this season of giving, the charity is reminding the faithful that every dollar up to $500,000 donated before New Year's turns into two, thanks to the Matching Gift Program. 

“We are very fortunate that a generous, anonymous donor has once again come forward and offered to do that. That invites people to give, and we have traditionally seen a strong response to that,” said Arthur Peters, executive director of ShareLife, the charitable fund-raising arm of the Archdiocese of Toronto.

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“Over the next few weeks, we hope parishioners, when they consider their year-end charitable giving, will consider a gift to ShareLife, knowing that their contribution will be matched generously.” 

Having already seen Catholics' generosity to the tune of upwards of $12.6 million raised over the last year, Peters sees the 2025 Parish Campaign goal not as 86 per cent of the way complete, but only 14 per cent of the way to go. 

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"We just had a very successful Giving Tuesday, raising over $110,000, more than last year, and we're very thankful that parishioners in the Archdiocese of Toronto once again responded to ShareLife. We have allocated almost a million new dollars this year, and because of that, meeting our goal is very important.” 

This year,  ShareLife was also able to allocate $800,000 to food grants, building on previous commitments of $500,000 in 2023 and $750,000 in 2024. Now, over 30 parishes and community organizations are receiving those funds. Peters shared that, as food security has become a major issue in society, the advisory board’s commitment to ensuring support for food and meal programs has been a major success in 2025. 

Still, the squeeze of the Christmas season is one that can be felt by so many people that ShareLife supports, be it seniors, those struggling with poverty, family issues, disability issues, grief and, of course, food insecurity. For those reasons, Peters attests that this time of year remains a crucial moment to turn Christmas generosity into twice the hope for Toronto’s hungry, lonely and hurting. 

“ As we reflect on the year, we think about all of the agencies that are benefiting from the ShareLife campaign, whether that’s a lonely senior who may have no family and receives a call from a volunteer to say a Merry Christmas, the family that needs food who can now turn to a parish or an organization to get it, a deaf child who was able to benefit from a Silent Voice summer camp this year, people struggling with addictions who turn to the Good Shepherd DARE program or to St. Michael's Homes for help,” he said. 

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“It’s to support all of them, but also maybe somebody new to Canada who's fled a difficult situation, persecuted for their faith or trying to assimilate into our culture, turning to Catholic Crosscultural Services or a refugee office for help. There are so many examples of how a parishioner's contribution to ShareLife is, and continues to, make a positive impact in our society.”

To donate this Christmas, visit sharelife.org.