About Giving Tuesday
A day to uplift stories, share hope, and support the 2026 Migration Literary Award. Giving Tuesday is a global moment for generosity. This year, we’re inviting you to take part in a campaign that celebrates the power of storytelling and the courage of those who move, migrate, rebuild, and begin again.
Your Story Matters Too
As the Executive Director of the Gallery of Human Migration, for Giving Tuesday, I want to share a small piece of my journey—because we’re inviting you to share yours.
I returned to Canada in 2019, and one thing I learned quickly is that migration is not only a physical move. It’s a shift in how you connect—with others, with yourself, and with the world around you.
When I walk in Toronto, I often imagine all the stories crossing those same streets before me. Migration is part of the city’s heartbeat. It teaches us to honour where we come from while fully living where we are.
And for me, where I come from is Italy—woven with the faces I love most: my son, my family, and my friends. Those memories live in flavours, laughter, inside jokes, and the way a certain song brings them all back in a second.
Here, I found a new family, new friendships, and new roots. Italy shaped me. Canada welcomed me back. And love became the bridge between the two.
Having dinner with my friends in Toronto may mean reconnecting with my Italian roots while also learning about new cultures from around the world. Gathered around a dinner table, we share stories from different cultures, weaving together ancestral heritage and the transformative power of migration.
Migration is a natural way of belonging to the human community. We love, we move, we adapt, we carry memories, and we weave new ones. Sharing this is my way of saying: your story matters too.
Four ways to support the journeys that shape who we are
1. Make a Donation to Support Our Programs
Your generosity fuels our mission, from collecting migration stories to supporting the 2026 Migration Literary AwardEvery contribution strengthens the Gallery’s work and helps us preserve stories that carry light, memory, and meaning.
2. Record Your Migration Story—Create a Ripple of Connection
Stories travel like people do. They cross borders, carry memories, and connect us in unexpected ways, and your story deserves to be heard. If you’re curious about how a simple red box came to represent this idea, check out our recent article, The Red Box That Travels Like Humanity Itself, to learn how memories, messages, and meaning move with people across the world. Watch the video of the #RedBoxGivingTuesday!
This Giving Tuesday, we invite you to share your story of migration or how migration has impacted your life through a short 1–2 minute video.
3. Join Us for “Fregnacce for Christmas” — A Hands-on Italian Cooking Experience
Tuesday, December 16 · Limited Spots Available
Enjoy an unforgettable holiday evening with us.
Together, you’ll learn how to make traditional Italian fregnacce pasta from scratch and then sit down to enjoy the meal you created. All proceeds support the 2026 Migration Literary Award. Seats are limited, and the event fills quickly.
4. Spread the Word With Your Network
Every share, every story, and every donation brings us closer to our vision of a world where everyone recognizes migration as a vital force of human connection and creativity. With your help you are weaving this living tapestry of movement, memory, and meaning across time and space. Stand with us, have fun, and celebrate the human experience of migration. Together, we can create a more compassionate and connected world!
Spread the word by using our campaign hashtags. Share on social media:
#GivingTuesday2025
#MigrationLiteraryAward
#PastaForAPurpose
#GalleryOfHumanMigration
#RedBoxGivingTuesday
Migration is a natural way of belonging to the human community. We love, we move, we adapt, we carry memories, and we weave new ones. And love became the bridge between the countries.
