West Vancouver lingerie boutique donates pyjamas to people in need

Christmas will be a little comfier for dozens of North Shore residents in need thanks to a donation from a West Vancouver lingerie store.

The La Vie en Rose location in Park Royal is donating nearly 100 pairs of pyjamas to the non-profit Hollyburn Community Services Society to go to North Shore youth and seniors in need this holiday season.

When Kiren Fu, junior assistant manager of the store, received an email from head office in September giving the green light to donate the sleepwear to a local charity of their choice, she knew immediately it had to be the Hollyburn Community Services Society.

“I had a personal experience with them,” Fu said. “It’s just a good feeling because I’ve been directly helped by them. Just seeing their impact in the community and experiencing it firsthand and knowing that I’m able to contribute to that is just so fulfilling.”

Hollyburn offers a variety of services to help vulnerable youth and seniors on the North Shore, including programs to help youth find employment, to assist seniors and to support victims of relationship violence and people who have experienced homelessness.

Two years ago, Fu joined the non-profit’s Wired 4 Success, a four-week youth employment program for people age 15 to 30 who have barriers to employment due to mental health, lack of education or training or a disadvantaged background.

Fu describes that time as a rough patch in her life due to struggles with mental health and limited work experience as a digital art freelancer. Shortly after, Fu joined the program to help get experience under her belt.

But now it’s become a full circle moment for Fu to give back to the non-profit that helped her two years ago.

“The holiday season isn’t easy for everyone, so it’s nice to be able to have something for the holidays [and] to be able to wake up on Christmas morning and have pyjamas. It’s not something that everyone has the privilege of doing,” Fu said.

After deciding where to donate the pyjamas, Fu was thrilled to make contact with Chantal Duarte, facilitator for the Wired 4 Success program.

Every year Hollyburn creates Christmas hampers for their clients, many of whom are youth or seniors who have experienced homelessness. Adding some jammies is a wonderful touch, said Mark Friesen, executive director of Hollyburn.

“In addition to the programming, supports and housing we already provide, we can give some pyjamas and a nice gift over the holidays,” he said.

Some of the pyjamas will go to teens in Hollyburn's Youth Safe House, a place for those between between the ages of 13 and 18 who need a safe place to stay and access immediate basic needs.

“We do our best to create Christmas at both our youth and senior safe houses, and for those we have housed but who continue to struggle with poverty,” Friesen said. “This contribution is awesome: new pyjamas at Christmas is a gift that would make a difference to all of us.”

Wearing jammies on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day is a popular tradition in many families, and Fu is excited to invite others as well.

“For me, it’s a very beautiful show of support and appreciation,” Fu said.

To learn more information about the non-profit, visit hollyburn-society.ca.

Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative. [email protected]