Tis the season to spend time with friends and family, enjoy the festivities of the season – and reach out to those in need.
Each year, the Record publishes a Guide to Giving to help connect community members with local non-profit organizations that help create a better community, whether its by helping people or animals in need or offering services for the betterment of New Westminster.
Arts Council of New Westminster
What it does: The Arts Council of New Westminster is a registered charitable organization that nurtures the arts community in New Westminster. Made up of hundreds of artists from across New Westminster, the ACNW believes the arts are an imperative component in community building and facilitating cross-cultural understanding. It offers a wide variety of barrier-free access to arts activities and advocates for the arts in an effort to fulfil its mission of bringing the community together through the arts.
Christmas wishlist: Cash donations (all donations over $20 will receive a tax receipt.) A $250 donation allow the arts council to present an interactive arts workshop to children in the community.
Contact: Stephen O'Shea, 604-525-3244, [email protected].
Aunt Leah’s Place
What it does: Since 1988, Aunt Leah’s Place has been helping to prevent children in foster care from becoming homeless when they age out of the system and lose government support and helping to prevent mothers in need from losing custody of their children. The society also provides supported housing, pre-employment training and coaching in essential life skills, as well as programs for youth and moms who have aged out of foster care.
Christmas wish list: You can help Aunt Leah’s mission of supporting foster youth this holiday season by purchasing a Christmas tree from one of their five charity tree lots in the Lower Mainland (including one at the Brewery District in New Westminster) or by making a donation directly through its website. The society also welcomes donations of vacuums, microwaves and TVs for the youth who are learning to live independently, as well as items for babies, such as toys for six to nine month olds, baby food and formula, bottles and soothers and warm baby and toddler clothes (newborn to four years old). For the youth and moms, some of the most requested items on their wish list are gift cards (grocery stores, movies, restaurants or coffee places, Visa), socks, gloves, toques, kitchen utensils, laundry soap and toiletries.
Contact: Tree lot information at https://auntleahs.org/social-enterprise/tree-lots/. For donations, contact Dumi Owane at 604-525-1204 (extension 251) or go online at https://auntleahs.org/donate/.
Blind Beginnings
What it does: Founded in 2008, this New Westminster-based non-profit inspires children and youth who are blind or partially sighted, and their families, through diverse programs, experiences, counselling and peer support, and opportunities to create fulfilling lives.
Christmas wish list: With 2018 being the organization’s 10th anniversary, it’s time to start looking for its own home. Its dream is to operate programs from a house with a cozy living room for support group meetings, a kitchen to teach life skills and cooking, a library of braille books and accessible toys, and a suite for youth to practise living independently in preparation for moving out on their own.
Contact: Shawn Marsolais at 604-434-7243 or [email protected]. For more information go to www.blindbeginnings.ca.
Family Services of Greater Vancouver
What it does: At Christmas, Family Services of Greater Vancouver offers the Caring Neighbours at Christmas program to make Christmas a bit bright for families and seniors in need. The adopt-a-family/adopt-a-senior program matches individuals, families or organizations with seniors or families in need of gifts and food for the holidays. People can sponsor a family by shopping for them and delivering presents themselves, or they can make monetary donations that allows Family Services to buy presents and gift cards for food and other necessities for the needy families.
Christmas wish list: Having already matched more than 145 families and seniors – and about 45 still on the registry and others still coming in – Family Services welcomes donations to help with this year’s Caring Neighbours at Christmas program.
Contact: To donate, visit www.fsgv.ca/donate.
Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society
What it does: The Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing nutritious food and related assistance to those in need. Each week, more than 27,000 people access the society’s services, including a new Community Food Hub in New West at Olivet Baptist Church at 613 Queens Ave., on Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and through 14 distribution locations and partnerships with close to 100 community agencies. Twenty per cent of its members are children and 19 per cent are seniors.
Christmas wish list: The Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society appreciates donations of food, funds and time. For every $1 donated, it’s able to purchase at least $3 worth of food. For food donations, the food bank welcomes the following high-protein, whole grain, lower sodium (salt), lower sugar items: canned fish, canned chicken or turkey; canned black beans, chickpeas, and kidney beans; whole grains and whole-wheat pasta; and canned vegetables and fruit.
Contact: To volunteer, donate food or funds or get more information, visit www.foodbank.bc.ca or call 604-876-3601.
Honour House
What it does: Provides a free-of-charge, temporary home, in New Westminster, for members of the Canadian Armed Forces, veterans and emergency services personnel and their families as they travel to receive medical care and treatment in the Metro Vancouver area. Since September 2011, Honour House has provided more than 6,000 nights of free accommodation for men and women in uniform and their families. Honour House is run almost entirely by volunteers from New Westminster and the surrounding area.
Christmas wish list:Gardening tools; maintenance tools; cleaning products; kitchen supplies;bathroom supplies;video games; books;financial donations; and volunteers.
Contact:Craig Longstaff at 778-397-4399. Donations can be mailed to Honour House Society, 509 St. George St., New Westminster, B.C., V3L 1L1. More info at www.honourhouse.ca.
Hyack Festival Association
What it does: The Hyack Festival Association works to enrich the community of New Westminster and beyond through festivals and events in which the community can participate and take pride. Throughout the year, it organizes events and projects that generate community spirit including the Hyack Ambassador Program, the Hyack International Parade and the Canada Day fireworks on the Quay.
Christmas wish list: The association is always in need of volunteers for its events and for various office and social media tasks throughout the year. It welcomes cash donations that help the association produce events, as well as gift donations that support its fundraising efforts through silent auctions, such as new household and kitchen items, crafts, toys, bottles of spirits or dressings and gently used artwork. Services like banner printing, carpet cleaning, painting and catering are also appreciated, as are gift cards and tickets to events that support the association’s fundraising and volunteer efforts.
Contact: Brunella Battista at 604-522-6894.
Lookout Emergency Aid Society
What it does: Lookout provides a continuum of low-barrier housing for homeless and under-housed individuals from the North Shore to Abbotsford, including a number of services in New West. Its services include outreach workers out on the street, drop-in centres for food and connection to services, homeless shelters, transition housing and supportive housing.
Christmas wish list: Lookout expect to give out about 1,500 gifts this Christmas to clients in its housing, so donations of new clothing items and underwear and socks are appreciated. Year-round, Lookout welcomes donations of: cold and wet weather items (coats, blankets, socks, scarves etc.); toiletries; items for the shelter, such as men’s sweatpants, gently used clothing for men and women, toothbrushes and travel-sized toiletries; work-related items such as work boots, jeans, heavy-duty gloves and bus tickets; and items to help folks get set up in a new home, such as bedding, cleaning supplies and bath and kitchen items.
Contact: [email protected] or visit www.lookoutsociety.ca.
Lower Mainland Purpose Society for Youth and Families
What it does:Established in 1983, Purpose provides a variety of social, health and educational programs to Lower Mainland communities, including an independent high school, family and youth services, a number of licensed child care facilities and HIV/HepC programs. It provides services to about 2,000 children, youth and families each year.
Christmas wish list: Purpose offers a hamper program for individuals and families involved in its programs, and welcomes food or groceries gift cards and personal hygiene products. The society also puts together gift bags for men and women and welcomes chocolates, men’s gloves, mittens, socks, scarves and underwear. Food and cash donations are appreciated year-round.
Contact: Dawn Embree at 604-526-2522 or [email protected].
Massey Theatre
What it does:Massey Theatre entertains more than 100,000 people annually, and contributes to many programs and services that assist in the sustainability of local organizations and community activities. Through its services, Massey makes it possible for local and regional arts organizations to produce their events at the theatre.
Christmas wish list: The theatre welcomes donations towards the renewal of the theatre, as a complete facility renewal (including a plan to make it accessible) is being planned over the next three to five years. The Massey Theatre is responsible for the maintenance, upgrades and operating the 1949 theatre. All donations of $20 or more receive a tax receipt.
Contact: www.masseytheatre.com or 604-517-5900.
New Westminster Family Place
What it does: Family Place offers drop-ins for playtime, art, songs, stories and snacks for the children, but it’s also a place where parents can have fun with their children, meet other parents, participate in parenting workshops and learn about other resources in the community. It offers drop-in programs at 93 Sixth St. Monday to Friday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and Monday and Tuesday afternoons from 1 to 3 p.m., and at Lord Kelvin Elementary School on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. (while school is in session). Family Place also offers a special drop-in for immigrant grandparents at the Early Years Centre at Qayqayt Elementary School and at the Hospitality Project at Olivet Church during the Greater Vancouver Food Bank Food Hub.
Christmas wish list: Diapers sized four to six, apple juice, Cheerios and coffee.
Contact: 604-520-3666.
New Westminster Firefighters’ Charitable Society
What it does: Works to improve life in New Westminster by raising awareness and/or funds through fundraisers such as the Christmas tree chipping, Canucks Alumni charity hockey game and many more events. The society’s 90-plus members are continually volunteering their time for causes within the community to help those who are in need.
Christmas wish list: This Christmas, the New Westminster Firefighters’ Charitable Society is collecting new unwrapped toys, non-perishable food items and donations that will be distributed within New Westminster.
Contact: Glenbrook Fire Hall at 1 East Sixth Ave. or 604-519-1000. To see what events are coming up check out the event calendar on the city’s website at www.newwestcity.ca.
Queen’s Park Healthcare Foundation
What it does: Established in 1983, the Queen’s Park Healthcare Foundation raises funds for priority equipment needs, facility enhancements and activity programming for Queen’s Park Care Centre and William Rudd House. It uses partnerships, education and fundraising as a catalyst for enhancing the well-being and full potential of elders and others in care, and works with medical professionals within Fraser Health to identify priority needs, raises awareness and provide a variety of equipment, programs and services.
Christmas wish list: Cedar or spruce (no pine) tree boughs or “greens” for Christmas centrepieces; CD players with earphones (not ear buds); small, flat-screen TVs; a stand mixer for the baking group; DVDs; a portable projector or an old-style overhead projector; pictures/prints/paintings for wall décor; decorative tea set; portable air conditioners; walkie-talkie two-way radios; a white board on wheels (60 inch width); and an airpot stainless steel thermos (2.2-2.5 litre capacity.)
Contact:www.qphf.org or [email protected] or Jason Lesage at604-517-8661.
Royal City Humane Society:
What it does: The Royal City Humane Society’s volunteers have been helping address the pet overpopulation problem in New Westminster since 1994 through initiatives such as operating a shelter for injured, stray and abandoned cats, housing others in foster homes and providing feeding stations for feral cats as part of a trap/neuter/release program. The society also promotes public awareness of animal welfare issues and provides financial assistance to low-income pet owners for veterinary and other costs, when funds are available.
Christmas wish list: Cat food and treats; bleach; eco-friendly laundry soap (not tested on animals); eco-friendly dish soap (not tested on animals); paper towels; AA batteries; computer paper; postage stamps. The society also asks all cat lovers to ensure their pets are spayed/neutered and contact the group if they need financial assistance with this cost.
Contact: Gail Beau at [email protected]. You can reach the humane society at 604-524-6447 or [email protected], find more information at rchs.bc.ca or on Facebook. Donations can be mailed to Royal City Humane Society at PO Box 47243, Royal City PO, New Westminster, B.C., V3L 0A5.
Union Gospel Mission
What it does: The Union Gospel Mission in New Westminster offers a full breakfast from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., followed by a soup lunch around 11 a.m. On Dec. 9 it will be serving its annual Christmas dinner to a couple of hundred folks at two sittings. The meal is the mission’s first point of contact with individuals and helps them direct people toward life skills, recovery meetings, counselling and other programs.
Christmas wish list:Cash donations and coffee are always appreciated, as are deodorant, socks, underwear and razors for men and women. Volunteers are welcome year-round, as well as at special dinners at Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas (but all volunteers slots have been filled for this year’s dinner.)
Contact: 604-525-8989 or stop by 658 Clarkson St.
You Wear it Well
What it does: You Wear It Well – Just for Grads is dedicated to helping New Westminster and Surrey students find grad outfits – at no cost – that make them look and feel their best.
Christmas wish list: Cash donations, gently used formal wear – gowns (especially large sizes), shoes, jewelry, purses and accessories. The group also welcomes support in the form of a moving van rental for March 3 and 4, 2018 and volunteers (especially hair stylists, makeup artists and seamstresses.)
Contact: [email protected] or You Wear It Well on Facebook. Website: www.youwearitwell.org.
