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 5^th, 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.