Who: Taggart Parkes Foundation, Mary Taggart, spokesperson and chair of the Taggart Parkes Foundation, and Chris Taggart, president of Tamarack Homes and Tartan Homes
The donation: $1M
The recipient: Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation
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The inspiration: “We love home and we love family. We have created our lives around home and it is where our hearts are at all times. So the opportunity to give this donation to the Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation and help to provide this feeling for others aligns with our goals of helping people feel good,” said Mary Taggart, spokesperson and chair of the Taggart Parkes Foundation.
The Taggart Parkes Foundation team, which is comprised of family members, meets a few times a year to decide how to direct its philanthropic gifts. The team recently decided as a group to donate $1 million to the Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation to support the construction of an eight-storey, multi-purpose supportive housing residence at 216 Murray St. The building includes 48 supportive housing units, a new community kitchen and a new full-day drop-in program.
“The housing crisis and the homelessness crisis have become bigger issues. This gift aligns with the work we do as a business as 216 Murray Street is helping people in need of housing, and this was a meaningful way to give back to a city that means so much. We feel good supporting the vision of the Shepherds of Good Hope,” said Chris Taggart, president of Tamarack Homes and Tartan Homes and representative of the Taggart Parkes Foundation.
Chris Taggart and Mary Taggart have also taken on the role of co-chairs of the capital campaign to support fundraising for 216 Murray St. The Shepherds’ building at 256 King Edward Ave., which delivers harm reduction and emergency services, has been renamed Taggart Parkes Family Community Hub in appreciation of the family foundation’s donation.
“The entire Shepherds of Good Hope community is so grateful to the Taggart Parkes family for their incredible leadership to help us reduce chronic homelessness in our city,” said David Gourlay, CEO of the Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation.
“The Taggart Parkes family understands what a home is to any one of us, especially a person who is chronically homeless who looks for dignity and compassion. They are genuine champions for hope with their gift and leadership,” added Gourlay.
In 2025, when 216 Murray St. is opened, it is expected that the building will house 48 people experiencing chronic homelessness and struggling with mental health and substance use.
