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Surrey Basket Brigade puts together 85 Thanksgiving baskets for those in need

Each basket costs about $50: co-ordinator
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Anthony Dietz puts one of the 85 Thanksgiving baskets created by the Surrey Basket Brigade into a car on Saturday, Oct. 6. (Photo: Lauren Collins)

Nearly 20 volunteers got together Saturday morning (Oct. 6) to help brighten Thanksgiving for those less fortunate.

Nischal Ram, the Surrey Basket Brigade co-ordinator, said this is the third year the volunteers have gotten together to put together baskets for Thanksgiving.

In the first year, he said, volunteers put together 40 baskets. The next year was 80. This year there are 85 baskets for families in need.

Ram said the Surrey Basket Brigade works with the City of Surrey, the Surrey School District and Lookout Society to find out who needs Thanksgiving baskets. He added that the deadline to have names submitted was Wednesday, Oct. 3 — just three days before volunteers have to put the baskets together.

RELATED: Surrey Basket Brigade inspired by Tony Robbins, delivered 80 turkey dinners for Thanksgiving

Ram said the group’s goal is to be able to put together 100 baskets, but he said names of families come in quite late that “logistically, it’s kind of impossible to get everyone in the end.”

Each basket includes items such as a frozen turkey, mashed potatoes, bread, stuffing, canned vegetables, desserts and a cooking pan. Ram said each basket costs about $50.

The Surrey Basket Brigade, Ram said, is inspired by the Anthony Robbins Foundation. The Basket Brigade, according to the foundation’s website, is an international volunteer-run program “dedicated to feeding those in need by providing baskets of donated food and household items.”

Ram said the volunteers just want to reach out in the community and help people.

“For Christmas, there are so many groups that step up to help out. But for Thanksgiving, there’s no one,” he said.

The volunteers, Ram said, drop off the baskets to the families, adding that the feelings when seeing the families’ joy is “what keeps encouraging us to do it every year.”

“It’s a very unique feeling, one-on-one with the recipient. It’s impossible to express into words. It’s that’s moment you share with someone — that’s what makes the whole difference.”



lauren.collins@surreynowleader.com

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Lauren Collins

About the Author: Lauren Collins

I'm a provincial reporter for Black Press Media's national team, after my journalism career took me across B.C. since I was 19 years old.
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