As temperatures in Edmonton plunged into negative numbers, Dr. Cynthia Puddu’s INTD 205: Social Determinants of Health class gathered donations and educated the MacEwan community about houselessness in the city.

“Homelessness is one of the many social determinants of health,” explains Bachelor of Science student Daniela Dorado. “And our community-based project helped us understand how homelessness is impacted by social, political, and economic forces in our community that influence health.”

The INTD 205 project had students team up with Boyle Street Community Services to develop a plan to help stock the organization’s Emergency Donation Room.

There’s more to a donation drive than you might think, says Dorado. She and her classmates worked for weeks to organize the event – splitting into teams to research houselessness in Edmonton, marketing the clothing drive (including creating this video) and developing materials to share with the student body, and receiving, sorting and delivering donations. 

“It was incredible to see everyone’s work come together on the first day of the drive and to have students at MacEwan respond positively in helping us support Boyle Street,” says Lauryn Stubbs, a Bachelor of Child and Youth Care Student who worked alongside Dorado in marketing the drive. 

The experience, adds Dorado, left her with more than a pile of warm clothing to donate. “It opened my eyes to social issues, so I am more aware of what is happening around me. I learned how to carry out a project in a way that treats people experiencing homelessness with dignity and respect. And I saw that even though it may seem that some things are too difficult to change, with hard work, little by little, change can happen.”