For this project, we created 60+ care packages for cancer patients staying at the Canadian Cancer Society’s Vancouver Lodge. The goal of the project was to provide comfort and support to patients who were undergoing treatment and often staying away from home for extended periods of time. At the beginning of the project, a couple of friends and I met to plan everything before actually starting the project. We discussed what items would be most useful for patients, how many care packages we wanted to make, and how we could realistically manage our budget.
We estimated that we would need around $500 to assemble all of the care packages. To raise this amount, we applied for the NSG Grant and also organized our own fundraising efforts. One of our main fundraising activities was running lemonade stands in different areas around Vancouver, which helped us collect additional donations from the community. Through this process, we realized that staying within our budget was more challenging than we initially expected, especially with rising costs.
To solve this issue, we decided to purchase essential items in bulk instead of buying smaller, individual packages. This allowed us to save money while still ensuring that each care package included high-quality and useful items. We also recruited a few volunteers from the Vancouver area to help us assemble the care packages. We met at a library in Burnaby, where we worked together efficiently to put everything together, including writing personalized letters in each gift bag, and later delivered the completed care packages to the patient facility.
Through this project, I learned the importance of teamwork, communication, and dividing tasks equally among group members. I also gained a better understanding of budgeting, fundraising, and problem-solving. Most importantly, I learned how a simple idea, when supported by community members, can create a meaningful impact within the community.
