PRESS RELEASE November 14, 2020
Winter Charity Drive 2020: Lotus Light Charity Society
Donates 50,000 Gift Items to Local Community Organizations
This is such an important endeavour, especially in winter months in the middle of the pandemic, to extend a hand to all the people who are in need, and tell them that they are not alone
Today, Lotus Light Charity Society held the 2020 edition of its annual Winter Charity Drive and donated over 50,000 gift items — including blankets, sleeping bags, scarves, socks, gloves, clothing items, personal hygiene products, masks, breakfast cereals and snacks, canned food, produce, fresh eggs, and bottled water — to organizations serving low-income families and inner city schools.
These items were distributed with the help of our community partners, the Vancouver Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Program, the BC Ambulance Service, and the City of Vancouver’s Emergency Shelter Program. There were over 31 recipient organizations, including Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, South Vancouver Neighbourhood House, May Wah Housing Corporation, Collingwood Community Policing Centre, Collingwood Neighbourhood House, Gladstone Secondary School, Watari Counselling Migrant 2 Migrant Program, WePress Community Kitchen, Aboriginal Front Door, Fraser Valley Families, PTT, and other Downtown Eastside organizations.
This year, the annual Winter Charity Drive was marked with a virtual presentation on the Charity website (vllcs.org), with VIP guests sending greetings through videos and letters. Vancouver East MP Jenny Kwan and BC Premier John Horgan thanked Lotus Light’s long time efforts to help the vulnerable population in the Downtown Eastside. Additionally, Constable Jose Abundo of the VPD Homeless Outreach team and Paramedic Chief Robert Whincup of the BC Ambulance Service thanked Lotus Light for organizing the annual Winter Charity Drive to help those in need in the Downtown Eastside.
“This is such an important endeavour, especially in winter months in the middle of the pandemic, to extend a hand to all the people who are in need, and tell them that they are not alone,” said MP Jenny Kwan, who also thanked LLCS for its contribution to the local community and its partner organizations for their support.
Since 1993, the LLCS has shown unwavering dedication to assisting those struggling in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside……This event is a vital show of community kindness and makes a powerful difference in the lives of British Columbians.
“Our crews are enjoying sending the care packages to help the marginalized population in the DTES community,” said Chris Iregui of the BC Ambulance Service. “We thank Lotus Light Charity’s leading work as ambassadors of kindness to these vulnerable people.”
This winter, Lotus Light Charity Society Society celebrates its 27th anniversary of serving the local community. In addition to the annual Winter Charity Drive, this October LLCS volunteers delivered men’s and women’s shirts, sweaters, and pants to homeless people in the Downtown Eastside. Furthermore, today’s mask donations represent the second batch of masks donated as part of the Lotus Light Covid-19 Mask Drive, which has now donated a total of 25,000 masks, two thirds of which were sewn by LLCS volunteers.
Lotus Light Charity Society’s annual Winter Charity Drive relies on financial and in-kind donations from individuals, local businesses, and corporate donors. The 2020 edition of the Winter Charity Drive continues our annual distribution of hundreds of sleeping bags, blankets, and emergency care packages in partnership with local police, ambulance services, shelters, and social service organizations throughout the B.C. Lower Mainland.
In the spirit of its motto “Through caring and learning, we help to build a better tomorrow,” Lotus Light Charity Society (Vancouver) is a registered non-profit charity dedicated to helping the most vulnerable in our local community. For further information, please contact Lotus Light Charity Society (Vancouver) by phone at 604-685-5548 or email llcsvancouver@gmail.com.
