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Wolfe Auto Group donates $5K to Surrey Urban Mission

Donation comes after the company helped pay for street-proof backpacks for homeless last fall
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Surrey Urban Mission director Michael Musgrove (far left) accepts a donation from Wolfe Auto Group. (Photo: Facebook)

Surrey Urban Mission Society received a donation of $5,150 from Wolfe Auto Group on April 26.

“Wolfe Auto Group has been an incredible support to the mission over the past years and we are so grateful for their kindness and generosity!” said the mission in a Facebook post. “They take loving their community seriously!”

Managers at the dealership posted to Facebook saying they were “thrilled” to present the donation.

“Surrey Urban Mission serves hundreds of people in the community needing a meal, a place to live or just someone to talk to! Just like Wolfe Auto Group they believe in helping our neighbors,” the company wrote in the post.

See more: More than 100 seniors living on Surrey streets: homeless count

This isn’t the first time the company has helped the Whalley-based mission, located at the corner of 108th Avenue and King George Boulevard.

Last fall, Wolfe Auto Group and Union Gospel Mission partnered with the CityPak Project to deliver the custom backpacks designed for life on the street.

As part of the initiative, a total of 750 “street proof” backpacks were delivered to the region’s homeless and 150 of them made their way to Surrey, which were handed out at the mission.

See also: VIDEO: 150 ‘street proof’ backpacks for Surrey’s homeless

The backpacks featured a built-in rain poncho, compression straps for bedding, reflective straps, durable material and anti-theft loops.

In a video about the distribution event, SUMS director Michael Musgrove said the Whalley neighbourhood they serve is one of the poorest postal codes in Canada.

“We have a lot of folks who are in need of help, they’re struggling with homelessness. CityPak has become an awesome tool in just helping people out,” he said.

“Often we don’t have bags and stuff to give out. Getting these CityPaks has been an absolutely awesome gift to be able to give to folks. They’re excited, it’s a great thing. It’s not easy living on the streets. I see a lot of people struggling with it but this will make it a little bit more bearable,” Musgrove added.

See more: Count finds 49 per cent more homeless people in Surrey

See more: More than 100 seniors living on Surrey streets: homeless count

Each CityPak costs roughly US $32 and in 2017, the costs were shared by CityPak and Wolfe Auto Group. Union Gospel Mission (UGM) helped co-ordinate and distribute the packs.

“After witnessing the impact these survival bags had on individuals last year, we knew our good deed went a long way,” Wolfe Auto Group’s Tristan Schon said last November.