Helping families start fresh - one gift card at a time.
Hi, I’m Kai Bawa.
I’m an 8th-grade student at Saint Andrew’s Episcopal School in Saratoga, California. I believe in the importance of giving back. Knowing how fortunate I am, I wanted to find a way to support others in need. This project is my way of taking action—of turning compassion into impact and doing my part to help build a better community.
Why Refugees and immigrants?
My dad’s family came to Canada from East Africa in 1972 looking for safety and opportunity during a time of regional instability—an experience that inspires our commitment to helping newcomers today.
Why gift cards?
We contacted the International Refugee Commitee (IRC), and they told us that they get a lot of donations that are often unused. What is really most valuable to immigrants and refugees is gift cards to purchase items like groceries, household items, and transportation cards. This provides the most flexibility in meeting day to day needs.
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Where will you purchase gift cards from?
For Home Essentials, we will get gift cards from places like Target and Walmart.
For groceries, we will get the gift cards from places like Safeway and Grocery-Outlet.
Donations to transportation will go towards Clipper-Cards, which provide access to transportation like buses and BART across the Bay-Area.
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How will the donated items be presented to those in need?
​On a regular basis, we plan to visit the IRC and other organizations that help immigrants to hand deliver the gift cards. You can stay up to date on our efforts by subscribing to our newsletter HERE (go to the bottom to the page and click "Subscribe to Newsletter")
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Do I get a receipt?
If you would like a receipt for tax reasons, please contact us here.​​