Valentine’s care packages sent out to Metro Vancouver women in need

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The packages, filled with items like soap, toothpaste and shampoo, were part of the One Billion Rising campaign, an initiative to raise awareness to end violence against women and children

Vancouver, BC: FEBRUARY 10, 2021 -- Manpreet Multani from the World Sikh Organization of Canada and Etti Goldman of The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, carry boxes of donated items that will go into care packages that will be distributed to women and children at 25 shelters across the Lower Mainland later this month as part of the One Billion Rising Valentines Day campaign. The event seeks to raise awareness about domestic violence and violence against women. (Photo by Jason Payne/ PNG) (For story by reporter) ORG XMIT: valentinecarepackage [PNG Merlin Archive]
Manpreet Multani from the World Sikh Organization of Canada and Etti Goldman of The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, carry boxes of donated items that will go into care packages that will be distributed to women and children at 25 shelters across the Lower Mainland. PHOTO BY JASON PAYNE /PNG

When 1,100 care packages were distributed to women in need throughout the Lower Mainland last week, they contained Valentine’s wishes, but no flowers. The omission was deliberate, said advocate Manpreet Multani, 24, of the World Sikh Organization of Canada.

The packages, filled with items like soap, toothpaste and shampoo, were part of the One Billion Rising campaign, an initiative to raise awareness to end violence against women and children. Multani said when the organization reached out to the shelters and low income housing representatives to ask what the women needed, they were told not to include flowers.

Valentine’s care packages sent out to Metro Vancouver women in need

“We learned that many times the women had been given flowers by their abusers, and so they had negative associations,” said Multani.

Multani said that over the past nine years the World Sikh Organization of Canada has participated in the campaign to create care packages and distribute them to women and children in shelters and low-income housing. In 2018 they expanded the initiative to include participation from other faith organizations as part of Interfaith Harmony Week, which kicked off during the first week of February.

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