A group of Perth County Paramedics hope a new website will help people pay it forward.
They've launched the donations site, "Community Caring Fund - When Hands of Caring are Not Enough" on YouCaring.com.
Paramedics are routinely asked how grateful people can show thanks for the help of paramedics in an emergency.
Perth County EMS Deputy Chief Cliff Eggleton says paramedics are routinely invited into people's homes and lives.
“We are eyewitness to their immediate needs on a very intimate level,” says Eggleton.
He says they can treat a patients urgent medical needs, and lend an ear for physiological needs. But he says the often feel helpless when they see other people struggling.
For example, sick patients often refuse to go to the hospital because they can't afford the cab or bus fare to get home again. Or they meet families with sick children struggling to cope while living with a seriously ill family member.
Paramedics hope grateful people will make donations, instead of sending cards or treats to emergency workers.
The focus for February is on local families fighting childhood cancer.