Coalition of Calgary organizations deliver rice to seniors in need

A coalition of Calgary charitable organizations are delivering hundreds of packages of rice to Calgary seniors in need.

Calary — The Alliance of Calgary Community Ethnic Support Society, Calgary Chinatown Lions Club, and Calgary Chinese Community Service Association (CCCSA) are delivering hundreds of packages of rice to Calgary seniors in need.

Since April 13, CCCSA and its partners have delivered 190 packages or approximately 1,330 kilograms of rice to Chinatown and area seniors. Over the coming weeks, they anticipate the delivery an additional 770 kilograms of rice and other culturally-appropriate food products.

Dr. Josephine Tsang, CCCSA Chief Executive Officer said, “During these times of social distancing, it has become increasingly difficult because of physical mobility issues for seniors to go to a local grocery store to purchase a bag of rice, which can be quite heavy to bring home.”

According to Dr. Tsang many Chinese seniors may not have access to, or be comfortable accessing technologies and others have language barriers keeping them from using other services.  “This is our way of giving back to the community. It’s one small piece of work that we can provide," she said.

CCCSA is currently looking for more donations and not just of rice. . “We want to continue to be culturally relevant.” Tsang said, adding, “We want to be conscious of the communities that we're serving, so for example in the Chinese community, we know that rice is a staple.“

Tsang said CCCSA utilized the federal government's New Horizons for Seniors Program to provide a portion of the funding for this initiative. Tsang and CCCSA’s partners are thankful to the community for their support, including T&T Supermarket for providing the rice at a significant discount as well as a local dental office for donating face masks for the Calgary seniors.

For more information, or to make a donation visit: CCCSA.ca/donate