The Toronto-based charity Loving Rose Mission, run by husband-and-wife team David and Susan Ruskin, collect donated equipment from our homes and ship it to rural community hospitals in the Philippines to be reused.

Several of our homes have been donating beds, mattresses, wheelchairs, walkers, clothing and blankets for several years now. This has allowed us to recycle and clear storage space, while also helping those in need on the other side of the world.

David started the registered charity in 2007, and says health problems in rural areas of the Philippines can often be terminal due to limited health resources. The main requirement in Philippine nursing homes is for beds. Once the donated beds from Sienna Senior Living have been refurbished, the hospitals often say they are “just like new”.

At the moment, only donations from long-term care homes and hospitals in Ontario are collected due to limited resources. The Mission uses a temporary storage facility in Toronto, and ships a 40 ft. container to the capital city Manila about four or five times per year. The containers are unloaded, inspected by customs, and taken to a warehouse for refurbishment before being transported to the city of Bacolod, where David and Susan live.