Surrey – SurreyCares Community Foundation has provided a $10,300 Emergency Community Support Fund grant to Edo Friends of BC to provide stability and connection to low-income, new immigrant, and refugee families in the Surrey area due to COVID-19. The funding was used to provide food, hygiene products, and family/mental health counselling.
“This project, supported by SurreyCares Community Foundation, helps to improve the physical and mental well-being of new immigrant clients by meeting their pressing needs. These needs have only been exacerbated during the pandemic,” said Osakue Ukponrefe, Outreach Coordinator for Edo Friends of BC. “Providing efficient family integration support improves the overall well-being of our society.”
Edo Friends of BC’s office assistant coordinates all project activities. They make arrangements with stores to purchase food, PPE, hygiene products, and delivery companies that deliver the products. They also coordinate volunteers at Edo Friends of BC Logistics Center, where all food and hygiene products are put together according to the needs of each family.
A part-time Youth and Family outreach worker is also in constant contact with these families, identifying their needs and connecting them to services. Some of the services provided by EDO Friends of BC include:
- Virtual family and youth counselling
- Guiding families through the benefits application process
- Equipment (Computer, Phone, Internet Access)
- Transportation needs
- Medical tests
- Doctor’s Visits (virtual or in-person)
- Hospital visits
- Medication prescriptions and refill needs
This grant is made possible through the Government of Canada’s $350 million Emergency Community Support Fund, which saw over $900,000 allocated to SurreyCares in its first round and now over $575,000 in the second round.
