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Ginnian Leung

London, ON

Aedan Currah is currently attending Western University. After spending some time in London, Aedan grew to realize a large population in the city experiences homelessness. Wanting to help, Aedan joined Purple Hands as the Vice President of Finance and is elated to begin helping the community in any way possible.

Purple Hands

Purple Hands is an organization based in London, Ontario which aims to support people experiencing homelessness in the London area. By running both a food drive and a winter resource drive, Purple Hands is working to ensure that those experiencing homelessness are able to be both fed and safe during the winter months.

https://www.purplehandsuwo.com

About this Project

Communities Served

My project will involve and/or impact the following communities:

  • At risk youth & children
  • Senior citizens
  • Refugees & newcomers
  • Persons with disabilities
  • Indigenous Peoples
  • LGBTQ2+ Community members
  • Racial or visible minorities
  • Vulnerable individuals (e.g. those experiencing addiction, abuse)
  • Multi-barrier populations

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

When it comes to community impact projects, the UN has created 17 Sustainable Development Goals. These are the Sustainable Development Goals associated with my project.

  • SDG 1: No poverty
  • SDG 2: Zero hunger
  • SDG 3: Good health and Well-being
  • SDG 4: Quality education
  • SDG 5: Gender equality
  • SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation
  • SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth
  • SDG 10: Reduced inequalities

How the project works

Purple Hands collected donations of food and winter supplies from various locations around London including Western University. All donations collected then are distributed either to another organization working to support people experiencing homelessness, or directly to those in the community. Donations included hats, mittens, gloves, winter jackets, thermal underwear and other articles of clothing including pants and shirts. Furthermore, we provided for the community through a soup kitchen event, and by providing food and snacks at the winter resource drive.

Project Impact

Last year Purple Hands was able to collect 250 canned goods during the food drive, distributed over 500 items to the community as a result of the winter resource drive, and collected and distributed more than 40 boxes of unopened menstrual products from the menstrual product drive. We were able to provide community members with winter essentials to keep them warm during the winter, food and snacks for community members during the events, and an opportunity for socialization for people experiencing homelessness, to help destigmatize this social issue. We also connected community members with additional resources to access support as well as provide a supportive environment. The biggest success with this project was being able to provide several winter coats as they have historically been the most challenging item to source via donations for the Winter Resource Drive.

Project Mission

To bridge the gap between the Western University student body and the London homeless community by promoting and attending to the voiced of vulnerable and marginalized persons in London, ON.

Project Team

Purple Hands’ team is a group of generous volunteers from Western University.