Basic household goods gathered.

By Frank Luba, The Province

In terms of business projects, The Good Drive really was a win-win effort Sunday.

Hundreds of household goods were donated to the non-profit group Gather and Give for people trying to rebuild their lives.

And five students completed their assignment for a project management class, a third-year business course at Simon Fraser University.

Chantelle Buffy, Josephine Gunawan, Aren Hanson, Sabaina Saif and Kenny Wee came up with the idea for the drive during Vancouver’s Homelessness Week.

Homeowners donated the goods to those needing household items.

Eleanor Herd, interim executive director of Gather and Give, said people starting a new life need basic items such as sheets, pots and pans, and even can openers — “things we take for granted.”

“Alarm clocks are a big thing,” she said.

Gather and Give assembled 2,200 kits of household items requested by people in need.

“It moves them to stability and they can move forward,” she said.

“I think it’s a great thing these kids are doing — just great,” she added of the SFU students.

The most unusual item donated Sunday was an Easy Chocolate fondue set, said Saif, 21.

The most commonly donated items were bed sheets and blankets.

“We’re supposed to come up with a project under the umbrella of sustainability,” said Gunawan, 22.

The students’ marks will be reflected by how close they get to their goals and how high they set those goals.

“Our goal is to get at least 500 acceptable donated items,” said Hanson, 24, whose group was well on the way to doing that Sunday.

They were also looking for at least 1,000 hits on their website www.the gooddrive.caand for 300 people to attend the event.

The students got backing for the event from sponsors that ranged from Rock Tech Lithium, a mining company, to chain stores such as Starbucks and Blockbuster, and local landmarks Anton’s Pasta restaurant and Valley Bakery.

Some provided snacks for anyone attending, some provided prizes and some just helped support the event.

fluba@theprovince.com

This article was printed in the Monday, November 8, 2010 edition of the Province.

Click here to read the article online.