Combating Youth Hunger: A Tribute to the Community
In the midst
of the holiday frenzy, we sometimes lose sight of the real meaning of Christmas
– giving. And we don’t just mean
giving your cousin the latest Nintendo Switch console, we mean giving back to
the community and those in need.
At Sprott
Shaw College, we take giving back to the community seriously – which is why we
do this, and this,
and this.
The Combating Youth Hunger Initiative
For the past
four years, our East
Vancouver campus, in collaboration with other Sprott Shaw campuses
throughout the Lower Mainland, have organized the Combating Youth Hunger
initiative. The initiative provides tangible donations (like socks, blankets,
and jackets!) and warm meals to those who are struggling in Vancouver’s
Downtown Eastside.
Throughout
much of November and early December, the East Vancouver campus collected a
variety of kindly donated items including mittens, toques, socks, blankets,
jackets, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, dog food, and much more.
On December 5th,
staff and students stationed themselves at Pigeon Park to distribute hot meals
and the plethora of donated goods they received.
This year, we
broke records. In addition to the many gloves, socks, blankets, jackets, and
more we distributed, we also provided over 500 hot meals, 600 sandwiches, and
200 care packages to those on the Eastside.
This event
wouldn’t have been as successful as it was without the help of everyone who
volunteered, donated, and helped out in any way!
A big thank
you goes out to: Big Star Sandwiches who provided the sandwiches; McDonald’s
who provided the cookies, coffee, and croissants; and Directions Youth Services
who allowed our campus to borrow their industrial kitchen to prepare the food
in. In addition to the community on the Eastside, our staff and students also
provided hot meals for the youth residing at the Directions Youth Services.
Another big round of applause for all the staff and students of the East Vancouver campus who raised money, collected items, and volunteered their time to make this event happen – it wouldn’t be possible without them! THANK YOU.
