Inspirational speaker and author Anthony Robbins grew up very poor. When he was 11 years of age, his family received a turkey dinner from a total stranger. Kindness changed his outlook on life. Beginning in his teens, Robbins scraped together enough money to deliver Thanksgiving dinner to one family, then another and another.
Now, people across North America participate in the tradition, including Nischal Ram, a REALTOR® with Sutton – Premier Realty.
Over Thanksgiving weekend 2019, Nischal and other dedicated volunteers delivered baskets of food to 100 local families in need during the 4th Annual Thanksgiving Day Basket Brigade Food Drive.
“The City of Surrey stepped in to help us last year financially and sent staff to help put the baskets together and helped in delivering them to families as well,” says Nischal. In 2018, the Surrey Basket Brigade delivered 85 baskets overflowing with turkey and all the fixings for a memorable feast.
“These families will not have much, if anything, to eat and feel grateful that there are strangers out there in the world that care about them,” Nischal writes on the Thanksgiving Basket Brigade webpage. “The generous donation of your time or a monetary donation will definitely help make a difference in these families’ lives for Thanksgiving.”
Nearly 20 years ago, Nischal and his family immigrated to Canada and received a warm welcome that made an impression.
“Our family enjoys this project because it is our way of giving back to the community. We are immigrants from Fiji and we came here in 2000 with almost no money. Lots of people went out of their way to help us out when we arrived. This amazing country provided us with tons of opportunities that we tapped into to be successful and our family is extremely grateful for that.”
Nischal is also grateful to the volunteers who assisted the Basket Brigade on Saturday, October 12, 2019 including support from the team at Sutton – Premier Realty.
This story was adapted – with permission – from one originally featured on the Sutton Spirit website. The Sutton Spirit program recognizes Sutton associates across Canada that improve and enhance the lives of the people around them.