'You're worth it': Addiction patients help deliver hundreds of hampers to people in need

Darren Chrovak knows how hard life can be — especially around the holidays.

He spent years battling addiction, which took a toll on his relationships with friends and family. Lost and without a place to call home, he eventually turned to the Together We Can treatment centre in Vancouver.

Now, he's giving back. He's one of hundreds of volunteers putting together holiday hampers for people in need.

"[Not everyone gets an] opportunity to get their life back," said Chrovak. "We came here to volunteer our time and help out people who are less fortunate than we are."

The annual event enters its 23rd year this Christmas. Organizer Marisha Zuckerman said the need for the event is greater than ever.

"If you've been in Surrey any time lately, you can see the homeless population is growing and growing, and we know the problems of the Downtown Eastside," said Zuckerman, an event coordinator with the B.C. Federation of Labour.

"It's very expensive to live here, so this is the one thing we can do to keep people warm and safe."

A need for job security

Each year, organizers host a Christmas dinner for thousands of vulnerable residents in Surrey and Vancouver. Hundreds of hampers are handed out afterward, which include food, clothing and toys.

"[The event] provides shelter, provides a warm meal, and provides community," said Gillian Oris, an event manager with United Way of the Lower Mainland.

For over two decades, organizers have pushed to end poverty. It's a fight that's gotten more challenging on the heels of Vancouver's affordability crisis.

BCGEU executive director Sussanne Skidmore is among the many volunteers. She said a growing lack of job security in the labour and trades sectors is particularly troubling for low-income workers.

"There's less full-time jobs that are well paying jobs for folks," she said. "It's the precariousness and the uncertainty from paycheque to paycheque about whether or not you're going to pay your bills and feed your family — let alone buy Christmas gifts."

"People need to know that when they get up and go to work every day, that their job will still exist."

'You're worth it'

The dinner and hamper distribution take place on Christmas Eve at the Maritime Labour Centre, as well as the Whalley Legion in Surrey.

For Darren Chrovak, the night will be a chance to see the fruits of his volunteer labour — and an opportunity to spread a message of hope.

"We're all deserving of a better life — there doesn't need to be people out on the street," he said. "The death that they're dealing with, it's so dangerous."

"Anyone that is sick and tired of being sick and tired, get into treatment.

"Give yourself a chance — you're worth it."

Follow Jon Hernandez on Twitter: @JonVHernandez