When a group of Johnston Heights Secondary students started noticing issues in their community, they realized something had to be done, and that is when the Loose Leaf Project idea was born.

Co-president of Loose Leaf Kashvi Sheoran said that she and two fellow Johnston Heights students were noticing kids in their school who were going without lunch, as well as other people in their community who were also experiencing food insecurity. They also noticed there were many unhoused individuals lacking access to clothing and basic hygiene products.

Together the three students decided they wanted to do something about it, and almost a year later, the Loose Leaf non-profit was formed.

“We as students saw these issues every day and we were really passionate about trying to make a change,” said Sheoran.

Since its inception in late 2025, Loose Leaf has extended its work through many initiatives, ranging from community dinners and clothing drives to women’s empowerment fairs and, most recently, backpacks for students heading back to school.

Sheoran shared the dinner, which took place in December 2025, was designed to bring people together over a warm meal, while also addressing food insecurity in the Guildford area. About 200 people attended, with the entire event made possible through donations, she said.

For the students, addressing community needs is about more than just providing a service. They shared that they want their events to create opportunities for people to connect with one another.

“We are a country made up of immigrants, and when you first come here, (some immigrants) don’t have family and don’t have that circle, especially during the dark and gloomy winters,” said Sheoran.

A similar philosophy carried into the non profit’s Women’s Empowerment Fair on June 27.

Sheoran shared this event offered free makeup, hair, clothing and skincare products, with two skincare brands even sponsoring the event. Women had the chance to browse clothes and take home a bag of items, while other youth-led nonprofits were invited to set up booths and introduce attendees to their own work, she shared.

Jasleen Mangat, another co-president for the non-profit, told Peace Arch News they were only expecting about 30 people to attend the fair, but nearly 100 individuals showed up.

“Makeup is so expensive nowadays and so are skincare products,” noted Sheoran. “We gave women a chance to uplift themselves.”

Loose Leaf’s work has also extended beyond events.

Loose Leaf founder and co-president Van Anh Phan shared they had a clothing drive in March and late April. With the help of Sullivan Heights, Guildford Park and their own school, this clothing drive supported unhoused people in the surrounding community.

Together, the three schools collected about 3,000 pieces of clothing, which the students distributed to local shelters.

Pham said that 600 hygiene care packages were also assembled and distributed during the clothing drive. These packages included pads, tampons, face wash and other personal-care products, with the goal to support women experiencing period poverty.

The most recent project this nonprofit is set for is helping students prepare for the upcoming school year.

Loose Leaf recently launched an initiative alongside LearnGo to provide backpacks and school supplies to students and families on Vancouver Island.

Mangat notes that school supplies can be expensive and the group wants to help address some of the gaps that students and schools face.

As the students now head into Grade 12, they are already looking beyond graduation.

Sheoran shared the co-presidents hope to continue Loose Leaf’s work after graduating in 2027, with the goal of building a community that addresses overlooked issues and reaches the people who need support most.

“We want to give help to the people that need it the most and reach the right audiences,” she said. “We love to build towards providing other youth and other fellow peers with a space where they can come to us with whatever issues they may have and think it’s not possible for us to help because we are just youth but we want to show we can provide a safe and welcoming space and make an impact,” Phan said.

Ultimately, the students say the biggest reward isn’t recognition or anything they receive in return.

“Even if there’s no reward in these things, just seeing those people smile, knowing that you help someone at the end of the day will have that sense of achievement,” Sheoran explained.

For three Johnston Heights students, that sense of achievement has already turned one conversation into a growing network of youth-led community action.

Learn more about the Loose Leaf Project on Instagram at loose_leaf_project.