By: Pamela Chan, BCFamily.ca
This Christmas season seven year old Burnaby resident Joshua Smith and his mum Traci are raising funds so that they can put together 500 bagged meals and other useful sundry items for people who live on the streets in Vancouver’s Downtown East side.
Two years ago Joshua asked his mum about the people they were seeing living outside in doorways and other sheltered spots. While returning home from the Santa Claus parade on a very cold day, Joshua saw a homeless man lying on a sidewalk grate to stay warm. He asked his mother why he was doing that. Traci explained that while some people are able to go to shelters, not everyone can or do sleep indoors. Joshua told his mum that he wanted to help. In 2012 they made 150 bagged meals to deliver in the DTES. In 2013 they made 350. This year their goal is to make 500 meals.
The Smiths are fundraising via a GoFundMe site page where donations can be made until December 24th at 12 noon. They are also seeking the following donations:
(This list was current as of November 29th, 2014)
List of donated articles so far:
1. 7 toothbrushes (493 more needed-(dollar packages of multiples are fine!)
2. 1 box of 500 count q-tips (few more needed)
3. 1 nail clipper (499 more needed)
4. 27 sandpaper type emery boards (473 more needed)
5. 2 trial sized toothpaste (498 more needed)
6. 6 hotels sized soaps (494 more needed)
7. 1 trial size shampoo (499 more needed)
For more information about how you can donate these articles, you can send a message to Traci via the GoFundMe page. An E-mail button is located on the top, right-hand corner of the page.
Related
Joshua and his mum Traci spoke with Gloria Macarenko on CBC Vancouver (SEE VIDEO)
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