Surrey – SurreyCares Community Foundation today announced that it will provide $75,000 to Dan’s Legacy to support the addition of a trauma-informed therapist to its team in order to meet the increased demand for mental health support for at-risk youth. In addition, SurreyCares is providing $70,777 to Sources Community Resources Society (SOURCES) to scale up and scale out their food security services so that they can provide more nutritious food to the growing need in local communities throughout the pandemic and beyond. The grants were made possible through the Government of Canada’s new $350 million Emergency Community Support Fund which saw over $900,000 allocated to SurreyCares.
“The COVID-19 crisis has increased mental health and food security issues with at-risk youth who are already struggling with psychosis, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. As many of these youth are homeless and hungry, they are particularly vulnerable to diseases such as COVID-19.” Said Christine Buttkus, Executive Director of SurreyCares. “It’s critical that we allocate some of this funding to support vulnerable youth in our community.”
The federal program is a national partnership with Community Foundations of Canada, United Way Centraide Canada and the Canadian Red Cross.
“We’re proud that Surrey is part of this national program and grateful to the Government of Canada for this much-needed boost benefitting local charities,” added John Lawson, Chair of SurreyCares. “We definitely need to do what we can to support our youth, many of whom face barriers in accessing mental health programs offered by the health authority.”
“We’re grateful for the support of our friends at SurreyCares, who have been a part of our team since 2017,” says Barbara Coates, Dan’s Legacy’s executive director. “Directing funding towards trauma-informed counselling programs like ours is a major investment in evidence-based harm prevention strategies, ensuring the youth get the critical support they need to help them take control of their lives and begin working towards their educational, employment and recovery goals.”
“Many communities and social service agencies that serve meals to the underprivileged are struggling due to food supply chains being affected by the pandemic. Part of what Sources Food Hub does is recover edible, unmarketable food from farmers and grocers and provide it to our partner organizations, effectively reducing food waste while feeding those in need. This grant will help us upgrade to a larger site, where we can process more food while reducing the risk of COVID contamination and expand our food security services beyond Surrey, out to White Rock and Langley. We are thankful to SurreyCares for supporting our Food Hub operations so that we can serve people in all of our communities in a better way,” said Denise Darrell, Executive Director of Community Services at SOURCES. “This will significantly improve the health and well-being of low-income individuals and help these communities to thrive.”
Individuals and businesses who wish to support Surrey charities are asked to give to the Surrey Community Relief Fund. In partnership with the Surrey Now-Leader, Surrey Board of Trade and The Saheli Foundation the goal is to raise $500,000 to support the most vulnerable populations in Surrey.
For 26 years SurreyCares has been committed to inspiring donors, growing charitable endowments and investing in people, ensuring that Surrey is a committed, connected and caring community
About Dan’s Legacy
Dan’s Legacy provides therapeutic counselling and life-skills intervention programs to youth affected by trauma-based mental health and addictions issues. In the past four years, Dan’s Legacy has helped over 300 youth meet their educational, housing and recovery goals.
About SOURCES
SOURCES is an internationally-accredited non-profit society and registered charity that delivers a range of essential community, social and health-related programs across the Lower Mainland, Northern B.C. and Vancouver Island.
