Metro Vancouver lots sell Christmas trees for a good cause
Posted December 8, 2021 7:59 pm.
Last Updated December 9, 2021 3:56 pm.
Rain Vanderwal knows first-hand how life-changing the money raised from Aunt Leah’s Metro Vancouver Christmas Tree Lots can be.
They have participated in a number of programs offered by the organization, which supports youth who are involved in the foster care system, and young moms at risk of losing custody of their kids.
Looking around at the lot, where volunteers and paid program alumni help people pick out the perfect tree, Vanderwal says they see all the values of the organization in action.
“It represents community it represents bringing people together,” they say.
“For me, it represents security, it represents family, it represents hope. I think that’s the best way that I can describe that.”
If only we had smell-o-vision! (We’re working on it!) Your tree may be a holiday centrepiece, but on @CityNewsVAN we look at why it means so much more to children who in foster care, or moms at risk of losing their kids. We get the answers from @AuntLeahs. Tune in! pic.twitter.com/g9tDELG41A
— Ria ‘Hall-y Jolly’ Renouf (@riarenouf) December 9, 2021
Aunt Leah’s Place offers core programs including housing, job training, outreach, and counselling.
Executive Director Sarah Stewart says the money raised through social enterprises, like the Christmas tree lot, allows the organization to be flexible. The importance of also being able to respond to the changing, often urgent needs of those they serve quickly is something that only became more apparent during the pandemic. Getting youth tech that would allow them to stay in touch with their support system became crucial almost overnight.
“We had some young folks who were having regular visits with aunts and uncles and those were cancelled, and paused because in-person visits weren’t happening anymore. They still had to somehow go virtually. So we made sure their aunties, their uncles, and them all had laptops to be able to keep those visits going,” she says.
“Youth who didn’t have phones or data plans — we got them that right away. Because that’s that was the way to connect and communicate and that was a way of moving the community of Aunt Leah’s virtually, so that our young people could connect in and stay connected.”
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Stewart says it’s nice to see the lot bustling with volunteers again after the pandemic led them to scale back in 2020.
“We really missed our volunteers last year, we missed them a lot. This year we’re feeling much more comfortable with having volunteers on and they are amazing,” she says.
“Our volunteers that come out every year we’ve got some who come once a week, twice a week. They’re hauling heavy, heavy trees, they’re having a great time. They’re bringing their children, and they’re so happy to be back doing their annual tradition of coming here and being amongst Christmas trees. It’s pretty fantastic.
Last year, even with fewer volunteers, the organization raised $641,121.
There hasn’t been an issue with keeping the lots stocked with trees, Stewart says, even amid supply chain concerns due to the catastrophic flooding in the province.
The locations of the lots, and hours of operation can be found online.
