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Grocery giving in Aldergrove ramps up in uncertain times

$1,800 has been collected from the community to offer help to those negatively impacted by COVID-19
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Aldergrove Poker Night founder Jodi Mangat (middle) handed Elks Association member Len George (right) and community police liasion, Cpl. Kurt Neuman, $1,000 for local families on March 18. (Jodi Mangat/Special to the Aldergrove Star)

A knock on the door has brought a sign of hope for local families after a burst of generosity has ramped up Aldergrove Elks’ initiative to cover the cost of groceries for struggling families.

Aldergrove resident Jodi Mangat – organizer of a bi-annual poker tournament in town – handed $1,000 to Elks member Len George on March 18.

Families already facing financial troubles are under more strain now that provincial health officials have ordered the closure of non-essential businesses to curb the spread of COVID-19, Mangat noted.

She was joined by the Aldergrove legion’s poker club, who donated $300, and the Elks Association who added $500 – to the growing amount of Save-On-Foods gift cards that Aldergrove’s community police liaison Cpl. Kurt Neuman will disperse in the upcoming weeks.

RELATED: Grocery gift cards give struggling Aldergrove families ‘a leg up’

Aldergrove resident Sandra Thompson was one of the mothers who received the surprise gift on Sunday.

“Today, after finding out my husband and I won’t be working for at least two weeks, a couple of members from the Elks brought us $30 dollars in gift cards,” Thompson told the Aldergrove Star.

“We will really need it and it was a nice thing for them to do.”

Many of the families live in the Kinsmen Park Place housing project located at 27402 34 Ave.

Charitable organization BC Kinsmen Housing Society operates the 29-year-old complex. Rent is subsidized by the provincial government to assist low-income families.

Since last summer, more than $2,000 in grocery gift cards have already been given to Aldergrove families in serious need.

READ MORE: Aldergrove poker night drums up $4,500 for struggling local families