Four local university students recently distributed 300 care packages to the homeless population in Abbotsford.
Sourav Arora, Prabnoor Johal, Tajveer Grewal and Jason Kailey – all 19 years old – received a grant and used it to prepare backpacks filled with clothes (including donations from Value Village), water bottles, hairbrushes, soap and socks, as well as toothbrushes and toothpaste donated by Clayburn Dental.
The project is part of the Smile Foundation, which the group created.
Arora said they noticed that the number of unhoused people has increased in the community, especially in the Gladys Avenue area, and they wanted to make a positive impact.
The backpacks were delivered to unhoused individuals, with the remainder going to the Salvation Army.
They hope that others will be encouraged to make similar gestures.
“I hope Abbotsford can stay united as a community and focus on the good, and always try to be kind to each other so everyone feels welcome,” Arora said.
Arora has participated in similar projects in the past, including in 2022, when he and a group of Abbotsford senior secondary school graduates distributed 275 winter care packages throughout the community.
Arora and Johal are both studying medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, but have returned to Abbotsford for the holidays.
Grewal is working towards his bachelor of science at the University of B.C., and Kaily is studying business at UBC Sauder.
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