There was the 103-year-old woman who donated to the 2020 Adopt-a-School fundraising campaign not once, but twice. The reason? She knew the children needed help, and wanted to make sure they were fed.

There was the reader who increased her donation because she wasn’t sure she would be around to donate next time.

Another donor gave up his weekly hamburger treat and instead sent the money to us to be used to feed hungry children.

Several seniors, who received the $300 federal government pension COVID bonus, sent their windfall to AAS, with notes that said: “I didn’t ask for the money and I don’t need it” and “You can probably make better use of it than me.”

We did, indeed.

For the first time ever, we initiated two annual campaigns — one in the spring of 2020 to establish a special COVID emergency fund, as well as our annual fall campaign. Readers overwhelmingly responded to both, and we used the more than $2 million total raised from more than 3,700 donors to provide food and basic necessities through 148 grants to schools in 17 B.C. districts

And whether that donation was big, like the $140,000 single anonymous donation, or small, like the two donations of $2.50 each from girls who gave up their allowance, and whether it came from individuals, families and companies or from the close to 60 other charities and foundations who stepped up to help, here’s what we know for sure.

Every penny of those donations has gone to make a child’s life better, has meant that they could start their school day with a full stomach and shoes that fit and clothes that keep them warm. Every penny means that thousands of children in communities all over B.C. have a better chance in life, and that their families have less worry about providing the necessities most of us take for granted.

It would be impossible to list the name of every single person who helped us help B.C’s most impoverished children this past year, but we continue to be humbled by the generosity of our readers.

It is our job, as a newspaper and as a charity, to do what we can to help the less fortunate among us.

But we couldn’t do it without you.

On behalf of all the children whose lives you have made better, we thank you.

The Vancouver Sun Children’s Fund Board of Directors

By Shelley Fralic (shelleyfralic@gmail.com)