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About 50 volunteers gathered in a Vancouver gymnasium on Saturday morning, filling hundreds of Backpacks of Hope with gifts for homeless youth in the area, ensuring they would receive a special gift this Christmas.
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The annual effort, led by Covenant House, ensures 350 homeless youths, ages 16 to 24, in the non-profit’s residential housing or drop-in programming don’t miss out on a holiday gift.
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“All of our residents wake up on Christmas morning to find a backpack under the tree with staff all gathered around, just like a traditional family,” said Amanda Merler, Covenant House’s manager of volunteer services.
“Since these youth don’t have a permanent residence of their own, they are using our facilities to create a home.”
Each backpack is filled with donated clothing, such as socks and toques, toiletries, chocolates, a journal and an individual first aid kit.
Merler said they had 35 groups of individuals, including corporate teams and school groups, who help bundle the items.
“This is like the community is wrapping the youth with a hug for the holidays. Getting these backpacks shows them there are people out looking to support them,” Merler said.
Among Saturday’s volunteers was Andrew Teel, a 22-year-old who was in foster care as a child, said: “I could have been one of those youths.”
Teel, who was born with fetal alcohol syndrome, is now a restaurant worker and part of an adoptive family. The Coquitlam resident said he wants to give back.
“I wanted to help youth who might not have had that opportunity to have what I have now — a family that cares about you and a place where you know you’re safe,” he said.
Teel first volunteered to fill backpacks with Covenant House at age 13 and returns every year, bringing along his adoptive family, including mom Sandy.
Covenant House spokesperson Aurora van Roon said the initiative comes as the organization faces fundraising challenges from the Canada Post strike.
“CHV typically receives about 50 per cent of its funding during this time of year, and most of that usually comes by mail,” van Roon said in an email.
Holiday donation are accepted at covenanthousebc.org or by at 604-638-4438.
sgrochowski@postmedia.com
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