Local community members, folks living in the Downtown Eastside and Syrian refugees are all experiencing the generosity of Greens and Beans Deli and its customers.
Last December, the Sapperton restaurant held a sock drive. By Christmas, customers had brought in 200 pairs of socks and 150 pairs of gloves and donated $200.
“I called Gurp (Johal), the owner of the Sapperton Shoppers Drug Mart to see what I could get for the money,” said deli owner Leona Green. “We got 150 toothpastes, 150 Kleenex and 150 bags of Christmas candy.”
Green also talked to one of her customers about the possibility of donating vegetables for the Christmas Day dinner at St. Barnabas Church. Russ Lemp, the owner of New Westminster-based company Harvest Marketing B.C., was glad to help.
“He sent 10 cases. I bought 100 pounds of potatoes to go with it, and vegetables were covered for the dinner,” Green said in an email to the Record. “All the things we collected were made into gift bags for the people at the Christmas dinner. We also collected warm coats and jackets. I traded them for a large box of toys with the Camp Kerry Society.”
Folks from the Camp Kerry Society took the coats down to the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver on Christmas Eve and handed them out to people in need.
“They had a lot of extra toys, so I gave them to St. Barnabas to give the children that attended the Christmas dinner,” Green reports. “There were a lot of toys left over so they are saving them for Syrian refugees.”
Green also baked up a few batches of cookies, taking about 300 to St. Barnabas for dessert for the Christmas dinner and sending 200 down to the Downtown Eastside with the coat-delivery crew.
“Thanks to my customers we made a lot of people happy this past Christmas,” she said. “It does take a village!”
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