July 20, 2024
8th Annual Lotus Light Community Caring Day: Lotus Light Distributes 50,000 Food and Care Items in Vancouver’s DTES
Today Lotus Light Charity Society (LLCS) held its eighth annual Lotus Light Community Caring Day in front of the Lotus Light Activity Hall at 347 East Hastings Street, and distributed 50,000 food and care items to celebrate community caring and giving in the Downtown Eastside (DTES).
At the start of the event, Deputy Mayor Mike Klassen and fellow City Councillors Pete Fry and Lenny Zhou jointly read the proclamation of the 2024 Lotus Light Community Caring Day issued by Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim.
Deputy Mayor Mike Klassen also said that the City of Vancouver “has been working in partnership with residents, businesses, community organizations such as the Lotus Light Charity Society, and other levels of government to improve the quality of life in the Downtown Eastside through innovative, community-led solutions.” He noted that City Council recently approved new funding for Downtown Eastside organizations and thanked Lotus Light for its work in the local community.
Local MLA Joan Phillips presented a certificate and gift on behalf of Premier David Eby, who thanked Lotus Light and said that since 1993, Lotus Light has “been a pillar of kindness and generosity in the community, offering a wide range of services and programs to support our most vulnerable populations.”
“Thank you for the opportunity to celebrate with you today,” added MLA Phillips. “Thank you so much for your resilience and your creativeness in making this such as a beautiful community and wonderful event.”
Vancouver Councillor Pete Fry noted that “this is really one of the most impactful and wonderful events. I come back every time because I really appreciate all the work that everybody does … I hope to continue coming every year for as long as you’ll have me.”
“Every time I come here, I feel the love, I feel the passion because of all of your work in the community,” said Councillor Lenny Zhou, who also commended young people for getting involved.
Other community leaders who participated in the event included VPD Inspector Terry Yung, Constable Steve Dhaliwal (VPD Homeless Outreach Coordinator), Ms. Lorraine Lowe (Executive Director of the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre and Director of the Vancouver Police Board), and Melanie Hennessey (Chairwoman of Covenant House Vancouver).
Other special guests included representatives from the Strathcona, Chinese, Vancouver Aboriginal, and Grandview-Woodland Community Policing Centers. Representatives from major sponsors included Steve Tam, manager of Superstore Grandview Highway; Carlo Fierro, manager at Superstore Marine Drive; and Anne So, Manager of Saint Germain Bakery.
During the event, Lotus Light also presented the 2024 Lotus Light Charity Scholarship to four students with outstanding academic and volunteering records, and also presented appreciation certificates to corporate sponsors and community partners. The presentation ended with a cake-cutting ceremony to celebrate the Society’s 31st anniversary.
Finally, after the ceremony, our special guests joined Lotus Light volunteers and volunteers from community policing centers and Project Hastings youth group to distribute food, care items, coffee, and a barbecue lunch to over a thousand homeless and impoverished members of our community.
The City of Vancouver officially proclaimed the first Lotus Light Charity Community Caring Day in 2017 in recognition of Lotus Light’s decades of community service. Since then, this annual event has united businesses, non-profits, and other community groups to support homeless and vulnerable members of the DTES.
This annual distribution of food and care items every summer is one of Lotus Light’s many events throughout the year. Since 1995, Lotus Light has also distributed over 600,000 winter care items during our annual Winter Charity Drive; since 2010, the Lotus Light Food Recovery Program has rescued 10,000 pounds of food every month for low-income families; and since 2020, Lotus Light has distributed over 500,000 pounds of food and over 30,000 free meals to help food-insecure individuals and households during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Lotus Light gives its heartfelt thanks to all the community partners, corporate sponsors, and volunteers who have supported Lotus Light’s charitable activities throughout the years, and we hope to collaborate with many more kind-hearted individuals and groups for future projects as well. For those interested in supporting our activities, please contact us by email: llcsvancouver@gmail.com, Tel: 604-685-5548, or visit Lotus Light’s website: http://vllcs.org. Lotus Light Charity Society registered number: BN 14110-4893-RR0001.
