Sumeet Sharma did not hang up his superhero cape once his fundraising campaign for the Ukraine humanitarian crisis was over.
The powerlifting gold medallist is back at it, this time raising money for flood victims in Pakistan.
Sharma, who won the coveted North American powerlifting championship title past October, is also hoping to lift spirits by giving back to the community which always supported him.
He said that he was devastated to see news coverage of Pakistan's plight, so, with the help of his sponsors, he sprung into action with his fundraising efforts.
"There are 30 million people without shelter in Pakistan," he said in a statement to Glacier Media. "It was upsetting to see the situation. So whatever we raise, it will go to medical supplies and recovery."
Sharma said that every dollar counts, and he hopes that his donations will help encourage other members of the community to help.
Aside from his athletic merits, the Burnaby local is known in the community for his fundraising campaigns in Lower Mainland.
His efforts began in 2020, when the pandemic cancelled his trip to Czech Republic for the world championships. He used the money he raised to give back to front-line workers and the health care professionals.
In March, he set up donation boxes in support of Ukraine through the Canadian-Ukraine federation, and helped raised money for international aid.
Similarly, after seeing coverage of the devastating floods in Pakistan, the Richmond-born athlete is setting up donation boxes in two locations of Supplement King in Surrey, with one at the Strawberry Hill Shopping Centre and one in the Newton Square Mall. As a Douglas College alumnus, he hopes to be able to set up an additional donation box on the New Westminster campus.
"The pictures were really horrendous," he said. "A lot of the community members of the affected were reaching out to us, so we wanted to help."
Donations can be made through the boxes or the Red Cross website.
