Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
ADVT 
National

Tables Offer Free Food, Essentials For Those In Need

The Canadian Press, 25 Mar, 2020 07:48 PM

    VANCOUVER - While panicked shoppers have been buying stores out of toilet paper and flour stocks, two tables have appeared on streets in the Vancouver area stacked with essential items and a sign that says "free."

     

    Raymond Liu, who is part of a group that set up the tables, said the idea behind them is simple: "Do not spread the virus, just spread love."

     

    The message seems to be catching on. In many cases, someone will pick up an item they need but leave something else behind that others could use, Liu said.

     

    The idea started in a WeChat social media group that has grown to 1,000 people who want to help during the crisis, he said.

     

    "Members of the group can post an item they need and others can respond, leaving it on one of the tables for them to pick up."

     

    In addition to the tables, Liu said they also crowdsource donations of supplies for those in need. For example, when members learned a care home was short on N95 masks, which provide respiratory protection, they found enough extra boxes to donate 100 masks.

     

    The group's main focus is helping those in isolation or those who are vulnerable, Liu said.

     

    And one of its main messages is that love should know no boundary. A sign on one of the tables shows a Canadian flag, a Chinese flag and the words, "Stay strong, stay together."

     

    "People shouldn't care about which race or which country you come from, you should just help each other. That's the spirit of Canada," he said.

     

    The table is lifting the spirits of some residents of the Vancouver and Richmond neighbourhoods that host the tables.

     

    Beryl Woodrow lives a few doors down from Daniel and Sophia Pu, who put one of the tables outside their home.

     

    "I got an email from a neighbour who said, 'Oh Beryl, look at this. Maybe we should let the neighbours know,' " she said.

     

    As block watch co-captain, Woodrow shared a photo with members of the community.

     

    "I send out emails all the time and I hardly ever get things back," she said.

     

    This time, neighbours responded saying they wanted to bake cookies for the table hosts and write cards to thank Daniel and Sophia Pu and their friends for the gesture.

     

    "I have never received so many emails from the neighbourhood exclaiming how wonderful something is."

     

    MORE National ARTICLES

    TransLink Granted Injunction Against Protesters

    TransLink Granted Injunction Against Protesters
    TransLink announced that it has been granted an injunction to prevent protesters from “physically obstructing, interfering, or otherwise impeding its SkyTrain facilities.”

    TransLink Granted Injunction Against Protesters

    BC NDP Claims Andrew Wilkinson Delayed Surrey Hospital By Selling Land

    John Horgan’s BC NDP government acquired land in Cloverdale for a new Surrey Hospital after BC Liberal Leader Andrew Wilkinson sold property originally set aside for a much-needed hospital.

    BC NDP Claims Andrew Wilkinson Delayed Surrey Hospital By Selling Land

    Human Brain Mailed From Toronto In Canada Post Shipment To Wisconsin Seized At U.S. Border

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seize human brain in international mail at Blue Water Bridge in Port Huron last week.

    Human Brain Mailed From Toronto In Canada Post Shipment To Wisconsin Seized At U.S. Border

    VIDEO: Inside Surrey's First Indoor Cricket Academy

    Future for the sport looks promising as DARPAN team toured the first and only indoor cricket training facility - Stallions Cricket centre & Passionate Cricket Academy in the city.

    VIDEO: Inside Surrey's First Indoor Cricket Academy

    Deal or No Trade Deal - Trump's 'Developed' Country India Visit

    Trump's India Visit - Is there a possibility of an Exclusive Trade Deal with India

    Deal or No Trade Deal - Trump's 'Developed' Country India Visit

    Departure Date Of Plane For Canadians On Cruise Ship Yet To Be Confirmed: Officials

    When a government-chartered plane can carry Canadians home from a coronavirus-stricken cruise ship in Japan is yet to be confirmed, says Global Affairs.    

    Departure Date Of Plane For Canadians On Cruise Ship Yet To Be Confirmed: Officials