A local not-for-profit society is working with Lethbridge School Division, The City of Lethbridge and the Lethbridge Police Service to help keep kids warm this winter.
On Monday (Sept 16), at an event inside the police station, The Medicine Shoppe made the first $2,000 donation to help kickstart the Every Voice Matters society's initiative, Let's Beat the Cold Together.
"Over the span of my life spent living in Lethbridge, I've observed a gap in accessible winter goods like coats, mitts, hats and boots for young kids in school, newcomers to Canada, seniors and other impoverished demographics in our region," said Suketu Shah, the executive director of the society, who added many people throughout the city are struggling to prepare their kids for the winter season. "With your help, our initiative aims to provide essential goods to people who can't immediately afford to provide these things for themselves. We greatly appreciate any donation made and are committed to ensuring our mission is realized for the benefit of our community."
Christine Light, Board Chair of Lethbridge School Division, spoke about how Let's Beat the Cold Together can benefit school children throughout the city.
"I think this is such an incredible initiative and one thing we value at Lethbridge School Division is removing barriers due to financial strain, so students can focus on their learning," she said. "The provincial statistic for children under the age of 15 living in poverty is one in six, and in The City of Lethbridge that statistic is one in five, and I know within our school division, we serve over 150 students annually with winter gear."
Light added it was great to see so many community partners come together to assist local families.
"One thing I also appreciate is Lethbridge is an incredibly collaborative community," she said. "This just shows it's not just people in education that care for kids - it's all citizens in our city that are wanting to lift up our kids."
The Lethbridge Police Service station will serve as a drop-off point for the community.
For more information on Let's Beat the Cold Together, or to make a donation, contact the Every Voice Matters Society at everyvoicemattersyql@yahoo.com.
The society is also working to create a website and Facebook page to provide more details on the initiative.
