The REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive is on this week (November 18 to 25). Please help us help one of our caring, not-for-profit community groups.
The Surrey Urban Mission Society (SUMS) has been a longstanding charitable partner with the Drive from the start. Whether it’s providing bedding and clothes to parents and children who struggle to live on a small income, single people unable to find affordable housing, or people challenged by mental illness or addiction, SUMS has been in our Surrey community doing the heavy lifting to provide real life-changing help.
Romeo Kabanda, the Director of Operations at SUMS, says,
“We are dedicated to helping people regardless of where they come from. Our mission provides a place of love for people in need throughout the community. We help a variety of people from people with mental disabilities and addictions, to people without homes as well as those with (a) home that struggle financially.”
Kabanda says the donations from the REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive are very important at this time of year when the temperature drops and bedding, coats and other warm clothing items can make a huge difference to children and adults in need.
“We walk around the community each winter and we see people sleeping on the streets and it’s heart-breaking. (Without the REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive) we would not be able to provide people with much-needed blankets that could get them through the winter.”
SUMS was founded and continues to operate as a Christian faith-based organization. They provide a warm shelter for 50 people and a variety of basic services to help people move forward with their lives such as laundry, bus tickets, showers, phone and Internet access.
“We have a department that’s dedicated to helping people get housing, access rehab facilities, jobs, IDs, and birth certificates,” Kabanda explains. “And, we ensure that donations from the annual event (our Blanket Drive) are given to those who truly need them.“
The REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive is a partnership between the Realtors and communities of the Fraser Valley, Greater Vancouver and Chilliwack & District boards. Where possible, the donations are collected, sorted and delivered to local community and charitable groups such as the Surrey Urban Mission Society.
More information:
For a list of brokerages supporting the Drive and a list of community & charitable groups accepting our donations, go to BLANKETDRIVE.ca.
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