December 11, 2021
Lotus Light’s 2021 Annual Winter Charity Drive:
LLCS Partnered with Community Organizations
Distributed Blanket, Sleeping Bags, and Winter Care Packages to Vancouver’s Street Homeless
Lotus Light Charity Society annual Winter Charity Drive 2021 celebrated its 26th anniversary of serving the local community with distribution of new blanket, sleeping bags, socks, gloves, hygiene care products and grocery
foods to help the impoverished families, students families in inner city schools, and street homeless in our community.
On Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 1:00pm, Lotus Light Charity Society presented to representatives of the Vancouver Police Department’s Homeless Outreach Program and the BC Ambulance Service, City of Vancouver’s Temporary Emergency Shelter program, and to low income family assistance groups and inner city schools with a donation of 40,000 items for Winter Charity Drive 2021. VIP guests attended the event includes Vajra Master Lian Tzi, Chair of Board of Director, Lotus Light Charity Society; MP of Vancouver East, Ms. Jenny Kwan, City Councillors Mr. Pete Fry, Ms. Sara Kirby-Yung, and Mr. Michael Wiebe, local front line officers Inspector Terry Yung and the Homeless Outreach and Community Team of the Vancouver Police Department, Paramedic Unit Chief Jenn Dube and her colleagues from BC Ambulance Services / BC Emergency Health Services, Executive Director Partap Sahota of Collingwood Community Policing Centre and Executive Director Mike Sauer of Grandview / Woodland Community Policing Center and their volunteers teams.
With the supports from the City of Vancouver Homeless Action Week 2021, community partners the Greater Food Bank Society, Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau, and generous corporate sponsors and volunteers from community services and supports organizations, Lotus Light has donated 40,000 gift items to partner organizations Homeless Outreach of Vancouver Police Department, BC Ambulance Services, City of Vancouver Temporary Emergency Shelters, Outreach Team of Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction BC, and to the students assistance program of five inner city schools. Lotus Light has also distributed winter care packages with hat, socks, scarf gloves and ponchos, personal hygiene product and toiletries, and free lunch sandwiches directly to more than 500 street homeless and low income senior in downtown eastside Vancouver community.
In the event, Lotus Light has also donated $5,000 to support the Canadian Red Cross “BC Flooding & Extreme Weather Appeal”, to help the victims of recent BC flooding and mudslide caused by extreme weather. And also donate gift cards, food and household items to Lotus Light Children Assistance Plan, a new initiate to support students from low – income families. Schools that received support includes Britannia Elementary, Thunderbird Elementary, Grandview Elementary, Gladstone Secondary, and John Oliver Secondary. Lotus Light also presented certificates to the 2021 Lotus Light Mu-Shu Lee Memorial Scholarship recipients.
“The greatest thing we can do is to help someone in need. Let’s work together to bring warmth and hope to help the homeless survive the cold this winter,” said Buddhist Master Lian Tzi, President of Lotus Light.
MP Jenny Kwan praises Lotus Light’s community works, especially the Winter Charity Drive that has been running for 26 years that benefit the community year over year and month after month to help those in need. Ms. Kwan thanks to Lotus Light,the donor and sponsors for their generous works that send a positive message to the vulnerable population in our community that we are thinking of them, and caring about them, and thanks to Lotus Light for having the opportunity to partner together to distribute the needed item to the community in Vancouver East, and making a different in the community.
The Lotus Light 2021 Annual Winter Charity Drive, now in its 26th year, relies on financial and in-kind donations from individuals and corporate supporters. This year’s campaign continues our annual distribution of hundreds of sleeping bags and emergency care packages in partnership with local shelters and family service agencies throughout the Lower Mainland. We sincerely appreciate the sponsorship support from:
City of Vancouver Homeless Action Week 2021, Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society, Big K Clothing, Ocean Brands, Superstore Grandview Hwy, Main St., and King George HWY Surrey, Walmart Burnaby Metrotown, Lower Mainland Christmas Bureau, No Frills Clark Drive, Save-On-Foods Cambie St, Main St, King Edward and Grandview HWY; Starbucks Drake St, International Village, and Terminal Ave; Van-Whole Produce, St. Germain Bakery, Terra Breads, New Town Bakery & Restaurant, Ba-Le Vietnamese Bakery, Golden Seafood Restaurant, Po Kong Vegetarian Restaurant, Pink Pearl Chinese Seafood Restaurant, Phnom Penh Restaurant, Herbaland, NOVAGOLD and more proud sponsors, and our community partners VPD Homeless Outreach, , BC Ambulance Services, Outreach Team of BC Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, Grandview Woodland Community Policing Centre, Collingwood Community Policing Centre and Chinese Community Policing Centre.
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.
Lotus Light Charity Society charitable registration # (BN 14110-4893-RR0001)
