The 13th Burnaby Scouts have organized a donation drive to give goods to the people of Merritt.

The scouts would be handing out a total of 150 care packages to victims of the flood on March 12 at the Railyard Mall parking lot. 

 “We agreed that it would be a worthy cause to build up on.” says KIan Sonawala, 16, who together with his brother, Aahil, 14, have brought the idea of the drive to their scout group. “We needed help from a team, we couldn’t just do it alone.”

Sonawala along with the rest of the scouts started handing out flyers in their neighbourhood, in local parks, and to local businesses to raise money and awareness for their drive. The group also collected donations online through an Amazon wishlist of household items donors could donate and a Gofundme link where they have raised over $1400. 

Since starting the project, other scouts have also joined in for their cause. “We plan to give out 100 bags and because of our alliance with the Fort Langley Scouts we decided to raise that to 150,” Sonawala said. 

The City of Merritt and the Disaster Management team, and Merritt Support Centre have coordinated with the scouts to organize the drive. 
The 13th Burnaby Scouts will be at the Railyard Mall parking lot on March 12, Saturday at 2 PM. Donations will be handed out on a first come first serve basis. 

The scouts are still welcoming donations through their Amazon and GoFundMe links seen below. 

https://gofund.me/d66d8e22

https://www.amazon.ca/hz/wishlist/ls/36OX0NGECBL2T?ref_=wl_fv_le