An eight-year-old local boy is showing his love for the community by handing out treats for Valentine’s Day for the second year in a row.
Suhaandeep Gill prepared pancake meal boxes and delivered them on Tuesday (Feb. 13) to two emergency shelters – Haven in the Hollow in Mission and Cyrus Centre in Abbotsford.
Suhaandeep and his family – mom, dad, five-year-old brother, grandma, grandpa and auntie – baked the pancakes at home and added blueberry jam, mixed fruits and chocolates, all packaged in individual boxes topped with a bow.
They also added juice boxes and delivered boxes of cheese pizza.
This is the second year that Suhaandeep has participated in a Valentine’s initiative. In 2023, he made a New Year’s resolution to help people in his community.
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“I want homeless people and people in need to feel happy, loved and cared for on Valentine’s Day. I want to them to feel special on this happy day,” he said.
The Grade 3 student lives in both Abbotsford and Mission, and attends school in Maple Ridge. Last year, he and his family prepared Valentine’s Day-themed gift bags filled with toiletry items, notebooks, pens, socks and candies.
The bags were then delivered to Haven in the Hollow, Cyrus Centre and Ridge Meadows Ministries at the Salvation Army.
Suhaandeep said one of the reasons he wanted to do the project is because it’s part of his Sikh religion to give to others.
“My family and I feel happy and proud to help others. For me, it’s important to be a kind, helpful and a good person,” he said.
Suhaandeep’s mom, Sandy, said she and her husband, Sunny (a doctor with a practice in Abbotsford), encourage their son “to find his passions and to fulfill them.”
”It’s amazing to see that he instills positive beliefs and values. This is seen as very great, appreciative, humbling, exciting and warm. We are very proud that he is helping others in need and making a difference,” she said.
Sandy said she expects that Suhaandeep will want to continue the Valentine’s Day tradition in the future.
