Everyone Deserves a Smile (EDAS) originally started in Edmonton when Chantal Stefan and three friends distributed handmade bags full of socks, cookies, and Christmas cards throughout Edmonton’s back alley ways to spread a little Christmas cheer.
That campaign has morphed into a 1500 bag quest that takes the deliveries throughout the Comox Valley, down to Victoria and ends in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
Stefan and SD71 schools are currently gathering winter clothing, handmade cards by students for the bags that will be delivered starting the weekend of Dec. 8 with 18 different agencies in the Valley collecting the bags for distribution to those in need. Each bag contains gloves or mittens, a scarf, socks, a toque, toothbrush and toothpaste, soap and homemade cookies. Each bag is painted by a student.
There is one last push for donations to fill the bags, ending on Dec. 3 so that students and community members can put together the bags on Dec. 5 and 6 in preparation for deliveries.
The most needed items are, for men/non-binary: 376 wool or part wool socks, 389 XL toques and 349 scares. For women: 98 wool or part wool socks, 92 medium sized toques and 216 scarves. Stefan hopes that the donation quotas can be met.
Over 7000 sugar cookies are being baked, decorated and packaged by the SD71 students. Over 2000 EDAS bags are being hand painted by students from kindergarten to grade 12 and over 2300 Christmas cards are being handcrafted by students as well.
If you can not donate the needed items but still want to help the cause, e-transfers can be sent to: Donate2ComoxValley@edas.ca or a cheque made out to ‘EDAS’ or ‘Everybody Deserves A Smile.’
From Dec. 5 to the 14, 25 soup kitchens, shelters and support agencies will be given the student care packages.
You can drop your donations at the following schools: École Puntledge Park Elementary School, Arden Elementary, Valley View Elementary, École Robb Road Elementary School, Queneesh Elementary, Lake Trail Community School, Mark R. Isfeld Secondary School École Secondaire, Highland Secondary, G. P. Vanier Secondary, Navigate (NIDES), Miracle Beach Elementary, Cumberland Community School, Brooklyn Elementary, Huband Park Elementary and Phil & Jennie Gaglardi Academy.
Donations are also accepted at the following locations: Comox Community Centre, Comox Library, Comox RE/MAX Realty, Courtenay Vancouver Island Regional Library, Uptown Yarns, Evergreen Club in the Florence Filberg Centre, Courtenay RE/MAX Realty, Coastal Community Credit Union (near Superstore), Studio IDF: Inner Pursuit Fitness, Starbucks (both 1551 Cliffe Ave. and 444 Lerwick Road) and Cumberland Regional Library.
