B.C. charity connects donors with schools in need
'We figured that someone had to step up, acknowledge the issue of child poverty in B.C and help,' says founder
A new charity started by a couple of UBC students is providing Lower Mainland children with items for them to learn, play, and grow.
YNOTFORTOTS connects underprivileged students and schools with individuals willing to donate new or repurposed items.
Some of the wish lists currently on the organization's website include outdoor play equipment, art and school supplies, and cooking materials.
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The charity was founded in 2015 by two UBC students, Mohit Sodhi and Lindsay Richter, after learning in a health course that nearly one in five children in Canada were living in poverty.
"We figured that someone had to step up, acknowledge the issue of child poverty in B.C. and help," Richter said.
"We aim to provide these deserving kids with the best opportunities to find their passion, so that when they grow up they will have the potential to do anything with their lives."
The charity currently has four project schools from Vancouver and Burnaby and has already provided nearly $8,000 in requested items to Florence Nightingale, Queen Alexandra, and MacDonald Elementary Schools, as well as the Our House Child Care Centre.
Their most recent donation includes microscopes, African drums, basketballs, and scooter boards for John Henderson Elementary School.
"When I see the students getting so excited about the new items for their school, it really melts my heart," Sodhi said.
Schools wanting to become a special project of YNOTFORTOTS or to register for specific items can make requests on the organization's website.