Project Winter Survival – let’s help the homeless in our community

A few months ago, I heard Jody Steinhauer, founder of the Bargains Group, speak at an event about Project Winter Survival. She launched this program 14 years ago and her company keeps expanding their charitable work not only in her community, but in other cities in Canada. I was so inspired, I knew I wanted to help out. Project Winter survival is about helping those without a home.

Please watch the video to find out more about how you and your community can get involved. For only $60, you can help one homeless person in your community.

Our HomeStars team recently spent a Saturday packing and distributing sleeping bags and backpacks full of winter survival supplies to front line agencies who help the homeless in Toronto. Project Winter Survival is growing across Canada and your support can help the homeless in your area.

We currently have a HomeStars challenge among our top rate companies. We would like to see our community donate 1,000 more kits this year. Each kit is approximately $60 each. We are asking each company to donate $500 each – and I’ll be posting the donors as they come in. Click here to download your donation form.

Here’s a little more about the program:

For the past 14 years, Project Winter Survival and teams of volunteers & donors have assembled and distributed over 18,000 winter Survival Kits. These kits provide warmth and essential supplies needed for the homeless and less fortunate to survive on the streets. Each survival kit or backpack contains approximately 30 basic necessities; from a sleeping bag and blanket to food, water and personal care items. These are items we often take for granted. The people on the streets have no access to basic things like toothpaste and warm socks. The agencies have had their budgets cut and can’t afford to always buy them.

Last year over 11,000 requests for these life saving kits were received from agencies that help the homeless. Our goal this year is to assemble and distribute more than 3000 kits to over 100 front line agencies, which include, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, Covenant House, local shelters, and outreach programs in the Greater Toronto Area as well as Vancouver. These agencies then distribute the kits to the most vulnerable people who are living on our streets.

To view the original article online, click here