In spirit of the holidays and helping those in need, Vancouver Career College has donated $5,000 to the Seabird Island’s Christmas Hamper.
The Christmas Hamper program has been running for nearly 15 years, and its objective is to help the less fortunate with food items during the holiday season.
“It’s truly an honour to be able to provide individuals and families in need of food and other items during this time of year,” says Andre Souza, Vice President Operations, Vancouver Career College. “Seabird Island is a local band in our community and we are delighted to provide support however we can.”
Seabird Island Band offers more than 50 services in education, employment assistance, fitness and nutrition, health and wellness, housing, prenatal, and early childhood.
“There are still differing levels of income and wellbeing in our community, and our Christmas hamper program helps us to equalize our community over Christmas,” says Henrie de Boer, Acting Director of Community Development, Seabird Island Band.
This year, the Seabird Island Band distributed over 300 hampers, and each hamper is estimated to have $100 worth of perishable and non-perishable food items. These hampers were delivered to homes and residents between December 17 and 19.
“[This donation] means a lot to us, as we were able to provide well-rounded support for our community members and ensure no one is left out,” says de Boer.
For over 130 years, Seabird Island Band is a multi-faceted First Nations organization that includes government, business, service, and non-profit. Seabird Island community encompasses over 200 homes and 800 residents, and the organization work towards promoting a healthier, self-sufficient, self-governing, unified, and educated community. Learn more about Seabird Island Band here.