A number of Peterborough businesses will be donating proceeds from sales on Canada Day to Indigenous causes.
The Planet, a vegetarian and vegan restaurant at 374 Water Street in downtown Peterborough, will be donating the proceeds from all sales made on Canada Day to the Legacy of Hope Foundation.
The Legacy of Hope Foundation is a national Indigenous-led charitable organization that has been working to promote healing and reconciliation in Canada for more than 19 years, including by creating awareness and understanding of Canada’s residential school system.
“The recent news of more mass graves being discovered at residential schools is so upsetting,” writes The Planet on its Facebook page. “We can’t change the past but we can work towards a better future.”
Following The Planet’s lead, the Silver Bean Cafe in Millennium Park in downtown Peterborough will also be donating 25 per cent of Canada Day sales to the Legacy of Hope Foundation.
“Canada has much to be proud of, yet much to come to terms with,” the Silver Bean writes on its Facebook page.
KitCoffee (111 Hunter St. W., Peterborough) is donating all profits on Canada Day to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
Based in British Columbia, the Indian Residential School Survivors Society assists survivors from First Nation communities in that province with counselling, court support, information, referrals, workshops, and more.
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Although the Night Kitchen (168 Hunter St. W., Peterborough) will be closed on Canada Day, they will be cooking pizzas beside The Little Building Company and The Little Frozen Yogurt Company at County Road 4 and Highway 28 (beside the Douro arena) beginning at 12 p.m.
The Night Kitchen will donate all the proceeds from the day to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society and to the Mnoominkewin festival, held in Curve Lake during September to help educate the public about the importance of wild rice to Indigenous people.
While St. Veronus and Le Petit Bar, both in downtown Peterborough, are closed on Canada Day, they will be donating 15 per cent of sales from this weekend to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
Needles in the Hay, a yarn and knitting shop in downtown Peterborough, is also closed on Canada Day but will be donating 20 per cent of in-store and online sales on Friday and Saturday to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
Between 1831 and 1996, more than 150,000 Indigenous children in Canada were taken from their families and communities and placed in residential schools, operated by various religious orders in collaboration with the federal government to strip the children of their heritage. The children, who were prohibited from speaking their native languages and practicing their culture, faced sexual, mental, and physical abuse, as well as shame and deprivation, and many children died while at these schools.
Generations of residential school survivors and their families and communities continue to be affected by the impact of residential schools. Despite this, many survivors and their descendants have retained their language and their culture and continue to work toward healing and reconciliation.
For more information about the Legacy of Hope Foundation, visit legacyofhope.ca.
For more information about the Indian Residential School Survivors Society, visit irsss.ca.
This story has been updated to include more businesses making donations and information about the Indian Residential School Survivors Society.
