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Humanitarian care is a vital traditional spirit in Canada. Over the past three years, through government and private sponsorship, approximately 50,000 refugees have arrived annually. Burnaby, a city in British Columbia’s Greater Vancouver area on the West Coast, is the municipality where the government settles the largest number of refugees.
Since 2017, at the end of every year, Tzu Chi volunteers in Burnaby have collaborated with Mambo Masinda, a Settlement Worker in Schools (SWIS). Mr. Masinda, working with school district social workers, provides a list of refugee families in need who have arrived in Canada within the last three years. Volunteers prepare supermarket gift cards for each family member and collect winter clothing. These items are delivered to their homes during the transition from autumn to winter, allowing newly arrived refugees to feel cared for in a strange land and spend a warm winter.
Love on Display: Invitation Translated into Ten Languages
During the two weeks from October 13 to 25, volunteers shared donation posters across various groups, guiding benevolent individuals one after another to send clothing to the Burnaby Office. Considering the anxiety children often face in a new environment, volunteers specifically collected brand-new toys to comfort their young hearts.
Volunteer Yi-jung Liu, who serves breakfast at Windsor Elementary School every morning, brought fellow community volunteers to assist in sorting clothes after their breakfast service ended. Yen-shu Tsai, who serves breakfast at Stride Avenue Community School, also joined several volunteers almost daily to sort the clothes. They categorized items by gender and size and hung them on racks, gradually transforming the Burnaby Office into a “House of Cherishing Blessings.”
Based on the list of 30 refugee families collected by Mr. Masinda, volunteers prepared supermarket gift cards worth $75 CAD for each family member. They carefully checked the number of family members, card quantities, and serial numbers against the receipt forms. Once verified, the cards were placed in envelopes for each household. Volunteers also selected a Jing Si Aphorism—”Do not underestimate yourself; people have unlimited potential”—designed it into a card, and included it in the envelope to offer encouragement and blessings to the new residents.
In previous years, volunteers selected and delivered clothes to each home based on provided information. This year, the strategy changed to inviting these families to the Burnaby Office to choose the items themselves. This ensured they received clothes that truly fit and allowed them to learn more about Tzu Chi. Consequently, an invitation was included in the envelope. These 30 refugee families hailed from 12 different countries and spoke ten different languages. Burnaby volunteer Hsueh-chien Lin thoughtfully used AI to translate the invitation into all ten languages.
Community Common Good: Turning Difficulties into Strength
On November 23, the day of the gift card distribution, volunteers gathered at the Burnaby Office. Tzu Chi Canada CEO Wan-hui Miao arrived early to offer support. Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley and City Councilor James Wang arrived later to encourage the volunteers. Mayor Hurley, a former firefighter, stated that his job is to make the Burnaby community better, and he expressed his gratitude that Tzu Chi is doing exactly that. Councilor Wang, a friend of Tzu Chi for nearly 20 years who frequently attends their events, praised and supported the organization’s work.
Hsueh-chien Lin began coordinating with school social workers in October. After obtaining and verifying the list, he organized the distribution teams by address. During the pre-departure briefing, he reminded everyone to check the IDs of the recipients, ask them to verify the card count and numbers before signing, and ensure they selected a date to visit the office to pick out clothing.
The teams set out one by one to deliver love to the homes of the new residents. Chao-ping Chang and Hsueh-fen Chang, accompanied by their ten-year-old daughter and Hsiu-mei Chao, visited a family from Afghanistan. This family had fled the Taliban and lived in Tajikistan for two years before finally arriving in Canada. The father, suffering from eye disease and diabetes, hoped for medical consultation, while the daughter wanted to improve her English skills. Hsiu-mei Chao encouraged him with a Jing Si Aphorism: “Regard obstacles as a source of strength, not a barrier.”
Newly certified volunteer Wei-ling Huang took her daughter, Wen-hsuan Wang, to visit the family of Filmon Ayalkbet from Eritrea, Africa. Mr. Ayalkbet arrived in Canada in 2024 with support from relatives. He was formerly a construction worker, but because his five-year-old son suffers from epilepsy and his wife is eight months pregnant, he must stay home to care for them. Currently unemployed, the monthly rent of $1,700 is a heavy burden for him.
When he and his wife came to the Burnaby Office to select clothes, volunteers took special care of them. They applied to the branch office for extra-thick blankets and planned a follow-up home visit to evaluate if they qualify for case-specific financial aid.
Embracing Hope: Love Transcends Language and Culture
The Hamili family of eight—parents, four daughters, and two sons—fled Afghanistan to Pakistan before arriving in Canada three years later, in 2024. When volunteers visited, they met the 25-year-old eldest daughter at the door. She told the volunteers that her father worked in gardening in Afghanistan but could not find work here due to a lack of English skills. She, however, was overjoyed to be in Canada and was working hard to learn English. The Taliban regime had forbidden women from attending school, but now she could finally receive an education again!
A few days later, the eldest daughter brought her parents and siblings to the Burnaby Office to choose clothes. Everyone was very happy. Volunteers enthusiastically assisted Mr. and Mrs. Hamili in trying on clothes, helping them find the most suitable outfits. Although there was a language barrier, the family felt the volunteers’ love, and Mrs. Hamili gave the volunteers a tight hug. Love is truly an international language.
Mr. Ghulam Bahawi arrived in Canada from Afghanistan three years ago and only recently brought his wife and children over. His son is five years old, and his daughter is just three months old. Mr. Bahawi was a general manager in a government department in Afghanistan, but in Canada, he can only work as a delivery driver.
When volunteers arrived at his home at the scheduled time, he was not there. After waiting a short while, they saw him drive up. He explained he had rushed back from work. Volunteers asked if his delivery job was part-time or full-time. He replied, “I make it full-time.” In other words, he works as much as possible; even though the volunteers visited on a Sunday, he was not resting. When the volunteers left, Mr. Bahawi walked out with them and immediately drove off to continue working.
Giving Back to Society: Recipients Become Helpers
Ukrainian mother Olesya lives in Canada alone with her four children. She said she used to clean for a large supermarket further away, but now works at a department store closer to home. Her 17-year-old eldest son helps take care of his siblings, for which she is very grateful.
Two days after the volunteers’ visit, Olesya brought three of her children to the Office. Her second son and daughter found suitable clothes, and her two-year-old son received a toy he liked. While the family waited for the bus to go home, Olesya took a photo of her ten-year-old daughter smiling happily in her newly received winter coat and sent it to the volunteers.
Although life is not financially easy, Olesya has a spirit of giving back. She previously volunteered at a small food bank in Vancouver for five months. She expressed a desire to volunteer for Tzu Chi, offering to help with cleaning.
Volunteers invited her to assist at the Tzu Chi booth during the upcoming Festival of Lights. On November 29, Olesya brought her eldest son to report for duty. The mother and son helped with everything from setting up tables and chairs to learning how to make paper tops and sky lanterns, and assisting visiting children during the event. People who were recipients of aid just days before had transformed into people helping others.
Two Generations Together: Count Me In for Doing Good
This distribution initiative saw four families participate with two generations working together. Chuan-chi Kao brought her two children along. Her daughter, upon hearing that Afghan women are not allowed to attend school, was perplexed and realized how fortunate she is to be in Canada. Wei-ling Huang’s daughter, Wen-hsuan Wang, often accompanies her mother to Tzu Chi events. She remarked that during the distribution, she saw a sick child and felt grateful that Tzu Chi’s great love was there to help.
The daughter of Chao-ping Chang and Hsueh-fen Chang learned a Jing Si Aphorism through the distribution experience: “Count me in for doing good deeds; count me out for doing bad deeds.” Hsueh-chien Lin’s son, Wei-chen Lin, said that seeing the families so happy to receive the gift cards made him happy to do good deeds as well.
Volunteer Yen-shu Tsai was fully involved from sorting clothes and distributing gift cards to accompanying new residents as they selected clothing. Her reflection was, “Joy is found in doing.” Lin Lan , a recently joined volunteer participating in her first distribution, was deeply moved to see that even families in difficult circumstances still held onto hope.
Three volunteers remained at the Office to prepare delicious sushi, savory rice cakes (Wa Gui), hot soup, and desserts. This allowed the volunteers, who had been running around in the chilly late-autumn air of six degrees Celsius, to warm their bodies and stomachs upon returning to the Burnaby Office, where they shared their observations and experiences.
In the first phase of the gift card distribution for newly arrived refugee families, a total of 28 households and 142 individuals received aid. In the second phase for clothing selection, volunteers first invited the families arriving at the Burnaby Office to enjoy tea and snacks and sign in, while introducing them to Tzu Chi’s organization and spirit. Afterward, they accompanied them to select clothes. Over four days, 18 families and 77 individuals formed a bond with the Burnaby Office, taking home bags of loving clothing to make this winter much warmer.
From the collection and sorting of winter clothes (October 13–25) to the distribution (November 23) and the clothing selection (November 25–28), a total of 112 volunteer shifts were contributed.