Members of Calgary’s Sikh community are spreading the love on Valentine’s Day.
The World Sikh Organization (WSO) and the Punjabi Community Health Services (PCHS) had members spend Tuesday night assembling care packages with hygiene products, gift cards, chocolates and Valentine’s cards crafted by kids at Penbrooke Meadows School.
The effort came as part of the One Billion Rising movement that aims to raise awareness and money for victims of domestic violence.
That movement cites the statistic, published by the World Health Organization (WHO), that one out of three women around the world will experience physical or sexual violence by a partner or non-partner in her lifetime.
With about $5,000 raised for gifts, the Sikh community in Calgary is giving to 25 women in need.
“These women are women who have been domestically abused, they’re women with children that are fleeing hard situations,” said Tarandeep Singh Kainth, a WSO Calgary member.
“Alongside Valentine’s Day, we want to share love so that’s why we’re doing it around this time of year.”
PCHS will be handing out packages on case-by-case basis.
In addition to Calgary, the event — started by the Sikh community in 2012 — is also taking place in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Regina, Edmonton and Vancouver.
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