Fraser Valley youth charity delivers Christmas hampers to help families in Chilliwack, Abbotsford and Mission

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“These hampers are personal,” says Keela Keeping, hamper coordinator. “We are given the youth’s age and bit of intel about their interests, which helps us get closer to finding that special gift.” Keeping says they also find out about siblings and other household members so they can provide gifts and the right amount of food.

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“We are deliberate with providing nutrition-based groceries where possible, and stretching our donor dollars with cost-effective purchasing,” says Keeping. “The only downside might be how heavy it all is – our six-person household hampers are four baskets full!”

Youth Unlimited has been making a difference in the lives of young people in greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley since 1945, enabling youth to discover and reach their potential by offering hope, connections, opportunity and support to youth on the margins.

Keeping, who works as the communications and marketing director at YU and as a member of the fundraising team, says ideally each hamper would last families for three weeks, but it’s getting hard with the big jump in grocery costs.

“We stretch each dollar as far as we can, as we see way too many families living precariously, finding it impossible to make ends meets,” Keeping said. “Let’s at least take the pressure off at Christmas.”

One YU youth worker shared on the hamper submission form: “This family if often left with not enough groceries at the end of the month,” she says. “Countless times this youth and I have gone grocery shopping so they could make it to the next paycheck.”

This year’s hampers represent about 230 people, many of whom are in challenging or heart-breaking circumstances—but YU staff say so many of those challenges are matched by their resilience and strength.

“We have youth in single parent homes, youth in intact families, and youth alone on youth agreements,” explains Keeping. “Their circumstances are diverse: from teen moms raising a child alone, to youth dealing with recent parent deaths; from grandparent forced to keep working to provide for their grandchildren, to others dealing with heart-breaking multiple cancer diagnosis’ in the household. Many are under-housed, and some youth being supported have left gang life and are working to stabilize personally and economically.”

Keeping says that while 58 might not seem like a lot of hampers, it’s a program whose impact runs deep.

“One of YU’s key values is to relationally and holistically meet the needs of young people over a long period of time,” Keeping said. “These hampers are just one part of the work we are doing with the youth and sometimes their families all year around. As someone born and raised in Abbotsford, it brings me immense joy to know that there are now a few hundred people in my surrounding communities whose Christmas season will now be one of plenty and encouragement, instead of lack. And this is thanks to the huge, massive hearts in the Lower Mainland.”

Keeping says there are key partnership conversations in the works to greatly expand the program to meet the need in the local communities. A grocery supplier partnership would be a huge benefit.

* To learn more about the hamper program or to support the 2024 Hampers of Hope project, visit www.youthunlimited.com/hampers.

* If you or your business, church or community group would like to volunteer with hamper assembly next year, please email news@youthunlimited.com.

* To support Youth Unlimited’s life-changing youth work all year-round, visit www.youthunlimited.com.