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Dozens of people met at Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto, Canada on Nov. 22, 2015 to show their support for Canadian initiatives to resettle refugees, especially those coming from Syria. The demonstration came a little over a week after the Nov. 13 Paris attacks that sparked a handful of attacks on Muslims around the world, including Canada. Demonstrators said they hoped to combat this sentiment. | Kathleen Caulderwood.
A volunteer helps clear dishes at The Stop Cafe inside Toronto, Ontario. She's one of dozens of volunteers who helped prepare meals for 500 people at "Supper With Syria" on November 29, 2015.
The event’s goal was to raise the $70,000 necessary to legally sponsor and support two Syrian refugee families to be resettled in Toronto's Ward 21. | Kathleen Caulderwood for the Toronto Star.
Diala Aleid stands in the kitchen helping chef Rabi Abo Al Zahab prepare Fatteh, a traditional dish that includes fried pita bread, tahini and chickpeas topped with garnishes such as pomegranate seeds, beets and parsley for the 'Supper With Syria' fundraiser for Syrian refugee families on Nov. 29, 2015. Aleid was born in Damascus, raised in the United Arab Emirates and came to Canada a year and a half ago, and hopes to do whatever she can to help Syrian refugees. “We all have this heartbreak,” she said. “But it’s been so nice to work together with Syrians and Canadians. We’ve been singing our songs and teaching our language.” | Kathleen Caulderwood for the Toronto Star.
Evis Chirowamhangu cleans up the kitchen near the end of a Nov. 29, 2015 'Supper With Syria' event meant to raise enough money to legally sponsor and support two Syrian refugee families coming to Toronto. She owns a small catering business in Toronto and is one of dozens of volunteers who offered their time to help prepare and serve the food. “I came because I know what they’re going through,” she said, noting that she is also a refugee. Her family moved to Canada from Zimbabwe in 2005 and she wants to help in any way she can. “In my culture when you eat food it’s not just about eating,” she said. “Food is the universal language of humanity." | Kathleen Caulderwood for the Toronto Star.
Chef Rabi Abo Al Zahab takes a break from preparing meals for an impromptu party with members of the Canadian Arab Orchestra and Canadian Arab Choir, who volunteered their time for a Nov. 29, 2015 fundraiser meant to raise enough money to sponsor and support Syrian refugee families coming to Canada. He formerly worked as the master chef at the Sheraton Damascus hotel and graduated from the Damascus College for Culinary and Tourism Arts. Now, he runs a catering company in Toronto. | Kathleen Caulderwood for the Toronto Star.
Dr. Lara Zahabi and Sang Kim, who organized the 'Supper With Syria' fundraiser in Toronto, Canada on Nov. 29, 2015, hug soon after learning their effort had raised more than enough money to legally sponsor and cover expenses for two Syrian refugee families to be resettled in Toronto. Kim was 6 years old when his parents sought asylum in North America after coming from North Korea. Zahabi whose parents are Syrian, was born and raised in Lebanon and lived through the Lebanese civil war. | Kathleen Caulderwood for the Toronto Star.
A young Syrian girl waits in a hotel lobby in Toronto where organizers are connecting recently-arrived Syrian refugees with their families or sponsors in Canada. The Canadian government resettled more than 10,000 Syrian refugees in the last months of 2015, many of whom were sponsored by private groups who worked to raise enough money and resources to help the new arrivals settle into their communities. Dec. 21, 2015. Toronto, Ontario. | Kathleen Caulderwood
A family uses their cell phone to communicate using video chat on Dec. 21, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario. | Kathleen Caulderwood
A mother gathered her children for a portrait near a Christmas tree on Dec. 21, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario. | Kathleen Caulderwood