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Amanda’s Edible Arrangements raises $400 for mental health programs

Three-day fundraiser sold 40 boxes of chocolate-covered strawberries

Chocolates and strawberries were a winning combination for Amanda’s Edible Arrangements. After a successful three-day fundraiser the small business, owned by Amanda Wight, raised $400 for mental health.

Wight sold boxes of chocolate covered strawberries from March 17 to March 19, as part of a fundraiser to raise awareness and support for mental health, as well as domestic violence and drug overdoses. Offered at $20 each, Wight sold forty boxes — each with nine chocolate-covered strawberries — earning a total of $800 with half of the proceeds going towards the Hope Community Services and Family Resource Center.

The fundrasier was done in honour of Wight’s brother who passed away six months ago.

“So six months ago, on the sixteenth, my brother passed away.” Wight said. “He struggled with a lot of mental health. And I think with COVID-19 and everything that went on there, it really did a number on him. And I mean, rightly so. We weren’t allowed to do things and certain things weren’t available for us.

“One of the last words he said to me, or wrote to me rather, was that I inspire him to do better with his life. And I wanted to make sure that I make him proud.”

Inspired by her brother’s words, Wight said she reached out to her friend who knew about the various programs in Hope. At her friend’s suggestion, Wight decided to do a fundraiser and give the proceeds to the centre after interviewing them and learning how many programs and resources they had for mental health, domestic violence, and overdose education.

Despite strides made in educating people around, and providing resources for, mental health, the Mental Health of Commission of Canada says there is still stigma and shame surrounding it. Many people struggle alone because they are too scared or ashamed to ask for help. This is especially true for men, who often have to contend with societal pressures and gender norms around masculinity.

According to the Commission, around 75 per cent of suicide deaths in Canada each year are made up by men, with suicide being a leading cause of death for men under 50.

In a 2022 report, the Commission found that mental health among Canadians were greatly impacted by COVID-19 with the pandemic intensifying “some of the well-known risk factors for suicide including psychological distress, job loss, loneliness, and problematic alchohol and substance use.”

This was Wight’s first fundraiser and she has plans to do more, especially now that she has a better understanding of how to run them. She said she is grateful for the community’s support and hopes to see more of it in the future especially towards raising awareness and support for those who struggle with their mental health.

“Just because somebody looks OK, it doesn’t mean they haven’t struggled,” Wight said. “You always have to be kind because you don’t know what somebody is going through.”

“I am just so looking forward to being in the community and giving back. [It’s] what I’m meant to do. And I know my brother is looking down and he’s giving me the biggest [smile].”

READ MORE: ‘Quite remarkable’: B.C. commits close to $1 billion for mental health, addictions


@KemoneMoodley
kemone.moodley@hopestandard.com

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Kemone Moodley

About the Author: Kemone Moodley

I began working with the Hope Standard on August 2022.
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