VANCOUVER -- A 20-year-old tradition of paying it forward went ahead on Saturday, despite the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
Hundreds of gift bags were delivered to families across Metro Vancouver, just in time for the holidays.
Seven-hundred “boxes of love,” filled with toys and gift cards were distributed to families in need. Volunteers essentially entered a drive-thru set-up where they picked up the boxes, and then delivered those boxes to families around the region.
"Every family is getting pre-wrapped toys that are age-specific for the children, and they’re getting a grocery gift card as well as a gingerbread house and some Christmas treats for the family,” said Simon Gau, executive director of the Cityreach Care Society.
The holiday hampers ensure that more than 1,500 kids will have something underneath their Christmas trees this holiday season, in a year made especially difficult by the pandemic.
While this year looked different than previous years, the volunteers still managed to put together nearly double the number of boxes they have in previous years.
