Small Grant from United Way Helps Large Number of Vulnerable Community Members April 2021.
A recent donation from the United Way was received on March 23. It consisted of children’s face shields, adult masks, sanitizer, and 188 gift cards worth $50.00 each. The gift cards were able to be used at Walmart, Superstore and Sobeys (including Safeway and IGA).
We started the program right away and had an incredible response.
Word of mouth spread very quickly, and we had not called very many persons before tons of people came, who were first time recipients of a donation from FOCAS, who had heard about the program from others. People from Syria, Kurdistan, Iraqi, Somalia and Oromos where among those who were able to benefit as well as those from other Arabic speaking countries.
We are aware of the COVID-19 Pandemic. These are groups of two families came together.
The following graphs show the number of PPE distributed. They also show the number of individuals who received them and the communities they are from.
We are aware of the COVID-19 Pandemic. These are groups of two families came together.
There were just under 200 gift cards in all, and they went a long way for the people who received them. We explained that it was a one-time donation we received from the United Way and everyone thanked us for the help. In total we were able to assist 617 people. Many had large families and young children still in school.
Number of people reached by gender and then by age is shown below:
The reason we had such success may have been because the gift cards were able to be used for household supplies and clothing as well as food. Especially popular were the cards from Walmart and Superstore. We contacted some of the recipients to find out how they used the cards and most told us that food, baby needs and school supplies as well as household cleaning supplies were where the money was spent.
Food was the highest priority, with people mentioning that other food they received elsewhere was not what was needed or did not keep well so they were not able to use it. Rice, flour, sugar, and oil as well as fruit and vegetables were urgently needed. School supplies for the children still in school was another major purchase and the gift cards made the funds available.
We also asked what people still needed. Many people are struggling, they might not be able to pay for heat and water as well as the rent. Although the donation was used for many needs, it was not enough to help for longer than just immediate demands. People were no longer able to receive some of the funds available from the Government or other organizations that were in place for the COVID response. They requested continuing support and help as they still have not been able to find work. English language barriers are an issue as many still struggle to be able to speak or write fluently. Those with health issues in their families are desperate as they need to care for family members and flexible work options are few.
The donation was greatly appreciated.
One situation was brought to our attention and we would like to share it.
Ghalyah is a widow with 8 children. She is one of the most affected people by COVID-19. She connected with FOCAS since July 2020. She had been receiving food from FOCAS for seven months. In January we told her we finished the project and had no more food to give and asked her to go to the Foodbank. She left us with broken heart. Later, she called us and asked if we had gotten any more food and we told her we did not have anything for her.
Almost a month later we received 188 gift cards for Superstore, Walmart and Sobeys. Each card contained $50. Ghalyah was the first person to be called. We did not tell her what we would be giving her. When she came, we gave her two cards, a total of $100 dollars. She was so happy that she cried for almost five minutes. She thanked FOCAS, thanked the United Way and thanked the Canadian Government.
The United Way has enabled us to reach 120 households. We are grateful to be able to contribute to vulnerable people, people in need and are looking for other ways to be able to continue this work in the future. Thank you to everyone who has worked with us to make it happen.
Pictures from our office of people receiving the donation from the United Way
