Helping Urban Native Youth One Box at a Time
The Urban Native Youth Association (UNYA) is located near our Commercial Drive self storage facility and has been a valued client of Maple Leaf since 2014. Recently, we were delighted to support their annual Xmas Hampers program by making a donation of 140 Maple Leaf moving boxes.
For over 25 years, UNYA has been a great community asset for local First Nations youth. Currently, UNYA provides more than 20 different programs for youth living in the Metro Vancouver area. Programs address a variety of youth-specific topics, including education and training, personal support, live-in programs and sports and recreation.
One of UNYA’s lesser known initiatives is their annual Xmas Hampers program. In 2007, the UNYA team decided to reallocate its annual Christmas party budget in order to create the Xmas Hamper program. The purpose of the program was to assist First Nations youth and their families in need. The program takes place in January, when family resources are often stretched thin, and has been a huge success. In fact, the Xmas Hamper Program has grown from initially helping 50 families in 2007 to helping 140 in 2015!
The hampers include a range of items including fruits and vegetables, canned goods, bread and cereal bars as well as educational literature about health, nutrition and parenting.
We want to thank UNYA for giving us the opportunity to witness first-hand the creation of these hampers. In a matter of a few hours, all 140 boxes were packed and ready for transport!
To find out more about the Urban Native Youth Association, check out Facebook and Twitter.
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