Technology for Change: Making the holidays joyous for all

Welcome back to Technology for Change, where BC Tech for Learning highlights unique ways that technology is used to support British Columbians in need. Do you have a story to share? Please send an email to Keely so we can collaborate to bring it to a wider audience.

Photo caption - Founding Peoples Support Society, KC Society, and Asian Food Bank host their annual Christmas Hamper drive at Surrey-Guildford MLA Garry Begg’s office, with MLA Aman Shah.

The holidays have come and gone, but the memories they create last forever. It’s meant to be a time of joy and cheer, bringing families together to share meals and memories. For many, however, it also creates a rather large financial burden. Everyone should be able to spend time with family in a warm place with a full belly. 

For 3 years, Founding Peoples Support Society, KC Society, and Asian Food Bank have collaborated to put together Christmas hampers for families in need in British Columbia. “Founding Peoples is proud to have been able to support community hampers for Indigenous families,” said Founding Peoples Support Society Executive Director Jenny Ferguson. Between 10 and 20 families were supported each year, depending on donations. 

The families supported in 2025 came from a variety of backgrounds, including single parents, refugees, low-income seniors, families with special needs children, and parents who have suffered injuries that leave them unable to work or with lost wages. BC Technology for Learning Society was proud to provide one laptop per family each year.

Along with a laptop, each Christmas hamper included items on the family’s Christmas wish list, department store gift cards, and a full box of groceries, including a turkey for Christmas dinner. Thanks to generous donor support, each family was able to wake up on Christmas morning to gifts underneath the tree.

The laptops provided by BC Tech for Learning will be important tools in the everyday lives of each family. 

“So many of our clients struggle financially and do not have the means to have a personal computer to study and use at home. Families are using the computer for school work, taking courses online and performing medical and banking appointments for seniors,” said Ferguson.

BC Tech for Learning has provided 199 laptops and computers to the Founding Peoples Support Society since 2023. The devices have been used to support students taking courses that require computer use, as well as to assist families in need.

“Technology is becoming an essential tool for our everyday life, and our clients need reliable, working tools like laptops and computers to perform [everyday] tasks. The computers have supported single moms, youth, adult students, and elders to have access to the world electronically.”

Community organizations like Founding Peoples Support Society and BC Tech for Learning exist to eliminate barriers for our most vulnerable members of society. These organizations, however, do not exist without our own barriers. In 2026, we continue to face funding difficulties, as government and private sector funding are harder to come by.

Having a computer in the home is essential. “This has changed the lives of so many of our clients, and we can not express how grateful everyone is for your contributions," said The  Ferguson. Having access to a laptop and computer training programs opens doors in our community for Indigenous British Columbians to upskill and apply for jobs.

You can donate to BC Tech for Learning through CanadaHelps, and Founding People Support Society through their website.

Your Donations Matter.