TELUS Day of Giving impacts local communities.

It began with a group of people and an idea. Then the initiators rallied their coworkers. Since its inception in 2006, TELUS Day of Giving has mobilized more than 65,000 Canadian team members, retirees, family and friends to volunteer on the front-lines of the communities they live, work and serve in.

On the last Saturday of each May, volunteers, whose passion it is to strengthen communities, partner with organizations like The Salvation Army at grass-roots levels to make a difference. Engaging in hands-on activities from serving at soup kitchens to landscaping at treatment facilities to sorting clothes for those in need, TELUS is making an impact.

The TELUS take-the-initiative Day of Giving involvement has motivated people like Melissa, one of its employees, to make a difference in her local community. Living in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside Melissa is often overwhelmed by the countless numbers of lonely individuals who live in poverty and despair. After contacting The Salvation Army’s Belkin House, a residential facility dedicated to breaking the cycle of homelessness, she prepares and serves lunch every Saturday to its residents.

“Arming people with basic necessities like food and shelter helps people make better decisions,” says Melissa. “I’m happy to play a part in their success.“

“The Salvation Army honours the tremendous contribution that TELUS volunteers play in supporting our front-line services,” says Graham Moore, Public Relations and Development Secretary for The Salvation Army in Canada and Bermuda. “Every hand at work contributes to rebuilding lives, and for that we are truly grateful.”

Thank you to TELUS for taking time to volunteer at The Salvation Army Vancouver Harbour Light, Belkin House and Vancouver Community and Family Services ( above pictures ), Prince George and Trail.