Aritzia’s Technical Development and Product Integrity Department is Making Holiday’s Brighter for Families in Greater Vancouver

As we continue to move through this pandemic and now face the outcomes of the floods through the Fraser Valley, it seems even more important this year to help those in need over the holidays. Each one of us is so very fortunate to have the support of a job at Aritzia. Aritzia’ s loyalty has really come through during this still unprecedented time.

For four out of the five years we have donated and sponsored families, I had the honor of taking the parcels and donations directly to the family we sponsored. I met the amazing people who just needed a little care and support.  The holiday season, while it can be full of happiness for those who can afford their wishes, it can be full of stress and sadness for those who cannot afford to buy gifts and meals for their children. I can tell you from my experience that the homes I visited were definitely in need of essential items, like beds, blankets, chairs and dishes. I can still see the looks on the faces of those who received our parcels and it brought tears to my eyes then and still does now. Although last year and this year we were not able to sponsor a family directly, we are able to help multiple families with our monetary donations.

We received multiple cards and letters from the families and support counsellors last year. Here are some excerpts from their cards:

“I am writing on behalf of some of the families I work with who are unable to personally say Thank you at this time due to their circumstances. Your thoughtfulness and generosity have brightened the Christmases for people you do not know and may never meet and you have no idea what a huge impact you have made in their lives.”

“….There are families that are living in poverty that work really hard to make ends meet, on top of dealing with other challenges in life. I means so much for these children to receive presents from generous people like you. To me, your presents send a loud and clear message to them that their support network goes far beyond their nuclear family. It includes people in the community that do not know them but cares a lot.”