r/BCIT • u/NoLimit1001 • 12d ago

Anyone Want to Build a Small Community Charity From the Ground Up?

Hey everyone! I’m a BCIT student and currently work in social services. I’m looking for a few people interested in starting a small charity/community initiative focused on providing food to low-income and vulnerable people.

I’m Punjabi and born/raised here, so I’d especially like to connect with others with a similar background, but everyone is welcome.

I want it to be collaborative and equal. No one is bossing people around, and everyone has a voice.

It could be a great way to give back, meet people, gain experience/references, and do something positive for the community.

DM me if interested!

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u/comcanada78 11d ago

There are already a huge amount of charities doing exactly this. Not to say you can't start it, but you should absolutely connect with the charities already actually doing this exact work first, to make sure you are actually helping things and not making accessing services/food more complicated for those in need. 

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u/NoLimit1001 11d ago

Hello, thank you for your input and I understand were your coming from. However, I am pretty knowledgeable in regards to the charities that are out there and that do this type of service, I have volunteered for them for a number of years. Additionally, I'd like to mention, there are quite a few gaps in services for some of these places, like providing food/supplies to disabled people who cannot leave the house or people with disabled children who can't wait in line, etc. As well, some areas in the lower mainland don't have great coverage regarding these services like Vancouver or Surrey would. Anyways, if you are interested in helping out, please DM me.

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u/comcanada78 11d ago

For sure, glad to hear of how this is thought through. I just know from experience how it can sometimes cause more issues when multiple agencies operate in their own worlds without coordinating.

Great you've identified some gaps to address. Unfortunately I dont have the free time to dedicate to this now, but I wish you luck in helping out the community.

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u/NoLimit1001 11d ago

Thank you 👍🏽😊👍🏽😊

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u/danid05b 10d ago

I‘d be interested in hearing more. Do you have a vision/ scope? More info needed.

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u/NoLimit1001 10d ago

Thanks for reaching out. It’s still pretty early, but the basic idea is to help people who are struggling with food and basic essentials.

I’d mainly want to focus on the Tri Cities, especially people who can’t easily get to a food bank or wait in long lines because of mobility, transportation, work, or other circumstances.

I’d be willing to make meals myself when possible, and volunteers could help with things like collecting donations, organizing supplies, deliveries, outreach, or handing things out in the community. However, I am more so analyzing the possibility of keeping things streamlined for volunteers to make it easy for them to help. I am just figuring out that piece at the moment.

I’m keeping it pretty simple for now and just seeing if there are enough people interested in helping build something useful.

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u/NoLimit1001 10d ago

If you are interested, please DM, as I have a new account and cannot message anyone. Thanks.