A few years ago, one of my business partners (Al Dhalla) and a long-time friend of his (Al Mohammed) started helping recent immigrants to Calgary by finding people wishing to give away furniture and matching them with people needing furniture.
Thus “Feed a Need” was born.
Since then, the program has grown to include people of all faiths with a genuine need earning them a nomination for a YMCA Peace Award and attention from the media.
Many of the recipients of the program have volunteered their time to help pick-up and deliver the furniture. As well, as they get established in the area they then are then able to donate furniture into the program.
What makes this a bit different from the Thrift Store concept is that recipients do not pay cash for things they need.
Here at Sunwapta Solutions, we are also donating all of our bottles and cans to the program and they pick them up on a regular basis… convenient and environmentally sound.
I wish the team at Feed a Need well as they seek to become a full blown and sustainable charity from their humble beginnings as a community helping the community.
As my Uncle Mike always said, charity starts at home (meaning look after the poor and helpless locally too).
Here, charity is starting homes.
