How Fateh Care Charity won the hearts of the community
Harjas Singh Popli was jobless in 2021 when he and his family started putting money from savings into their new mobile food bank called Fateh Care Charity.
One year earlier, Harjas, his wife Dr. Navneet Kaur Popli, and their two sons made a split-second decision to start fresh in Canada, amid a new and tumultuous pandemic. They packed their lives in eight bags and managed to snag the last flight from New Delhi to Calgary before the Canadian airspace officially closed.
That September, Navneet found work as an engineering instructor at the University of Victoria, while Harjas kept job hunting. A few months later, isolated and at home sick with COVID-19, they tried reaching out for help obtaining groceries and medicines. It was much harder than expected.
“We were in a new country and city. The moment you stepped out of the house, there was no one you could ask for help,” said Harjas. “We knew no one.” That year, Victoria’s 2022 Vital Signs report found that only 27% of respondents felt there was sufficient support for newcomers to the region – a number that’s risen to 35% in 2024. Clicking through local Facebook posts, Navneet realized the disconnect went beyond newcomers.
“There were single mothers, seniors, and kids with mobility challenges asking for help, but no one seemed to be delivering them anything. There was a big need,” she recalled. The pair decided that if they survived COVID-19, they, themselves, would start a charity to help everyone in need, no questions asked.
‘Winning hearts by caring’
The Poplis say ‘Fateh Care’ means “winning hearts by caring,” a mission that’s grown from a family-run passion project into a wider community initiative. The charity, now with two part-time employees and many volunteers, has delivered food, hygiene products, clothes, and more, directly to thousands of people with mobility challenges – from Sooke to Sidney.
Navneet says, “it’s about making sure everyone’s life feels valued,” and while their goals are a marathon, each day is a sprint. Outside their day jobs, they answer delivery requests, collect donations, purchase and deliver food, and maintain a robust social media presence. Navneet also offers support to charities serving female-identifying people.
Harjas, now an HR executive, says the family puts at least 10% of its salary into the charity, in line with their faith and karmic values.
“We feel this 10% is not ours, so we must spend it on the community, on good deeds, and then what goes around comes around,” he said.
Through all this, and with help from a $20,000 grant through the Victoria Foundation’s Community Grants Program, they’ve been winning the community’s hearts by building a barrier-free support network and partnering with local charities like Mustard Seed Street Church. This bold work complements the Victoria Foundation’s longstanding commitment to charitable partnerships that help the community achieve food security, working to ensure that no one sleeps hungry.
A medal for the ages
In September 2024, Harjas asked Navneet to pinch him while they sat with his parents at Government House, ready to accept a King Charles III Coronation medal for the family’s profound service.
Navneet soaked in the occasion, “taking in these very special moments,” while Harjas accepted the medal for their charitable work. The family took portraits with their Member of Parliament – a testament to their deep support for community.
The Poplis say demand for Fateh Care has skyrocketed, and they’re always looking for support on new and innovative ways to fundraise, along with recruiting volunteers. They also now publish the monthly Fateh Care Times – a newspaper to “connect our shared communities” – in print and online. Long-term, the Poplis hope to expand and inspire new mobile food banks everywhere, based on their achievements.
“We know exactly how it has to be done,” says Harjas. “We know the logistics. We’re now masters of running a mobile food bank.”
For more about Fateh Care Charity, visit fatehcare.com.