Covenant House Vancouver

Our Community Support Services (CSS) department is in full decoration mode.  Our young women’s drop-in group completed the decorating this morning in advance preparation for the big youth Christmas party later this month.  The CSS Christmas party is a Covenant House tradition.  Amazing quantities of donated and in-house prepared food, along with backpacks stuffed with presents, are handed out to over 200 young people who attend the party.

I remember attending the first CSS party 12 years ago and I was struck by and will forever remember the image of the young people lining up to receive their backpacks.  It was a bittersweet moment:  I was happy that the youth were getting much needed items but I felt sad that they were getting presents from an organization instead of their own families.  Though recalling it now, I can’t help but feel such warmth and gratitude to all of the donors who contribute the backpacks and the gifts who are like an extended family to our youth.  Our young people do feel the love from our donors this time of year in many ways and they are sincerely grateful for this support.

If you would like to donate items for this year’s Christmas party, please click here to see what we need.  Thanks!

Backpacks ready to go!

Santa greets the CSS youth

 CSS Christmas party