Scouts donate essential items to flood victims in Merritt
The scouts handed out about 170 packages filled with essential items
When a group of scouts from Burnaby, B.C., saw how historic flooding demolished homes and ruined personal belongings in the town of Merritt, B.C., back in November, they decided to step up and help.
After months of collecting donations, the 13th Burnaby Ismaili Scout Group travelled to Merritt this weekend to hand out around 170 packages of essential items — including cleaning supplies, non-perishable food items and toiletries — to flood victims.
The group says it wanted to help the people of Merritt because many of them are still living in temporary housing four months after flooding devastated the town.
"That's part of the scout's objective ... we have to learn how to give back to the community, to help the needy," said scout section leader Azlim Rajwani.
About a dozen scouts, scout leaders and volunteers gave out the packages at the Railyard Mall Parking lot. The event was coordinated with the City of Merritt, the disaster management team and the Merritt Support Centre.
Giving back to the community
It takes four years for Canadian youth who are part of the scouts level program for kids ages 11 to 14 to graduate to the next level of programming, called Venture Scouts, for ages 15 to 17.
Rajwani said as part of the graduation process, the scouts must come up with a project idea where they can give back to the community. The volunteer work is also part of the eligibility process for the Chief Scout's Award — the highest award at the scout level.
When a few scouts on the team thought of the idea to help the Merritt flood victims, he said they decided to reach out to the community to see what people needed so they could begin fundraising.
The team raised around $1,400 through a GoFundMe page and created an Amazon wish-list to purchase essential items for the packages. They also collected donations, like non-perishable food items, through community events.
What it means for the community
One of the volunteers who helped spread the word throughout Merritt weeks leading up to the event was Afreen Barkat.
Barkat, who moved to Merritt from Calgary a year ago with her family, lost her home and most of her personal belongings in the flood.
She said she also lived in a hotel for about two months following the floods and sympathizes with the families who still have to stay there because they have nowhere else to go.
"I totally understand how it feels like to be, you know, homeless. It's a horrible feeling," she said.
Even though she was a victim of the flooding herself, she said it was inspiring to see scouts from outside the community come help people in need.
"I hope these small [acts] of kindness give our community hope that there will be a tomorrow, a better tomorrow and a beautiful tomorrow," Barkat said.
Barkat and other volunteers plan to distribute around 20 packages that were leftover to families in need over the coming days.