REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive helps 30,000 people stay warm

More than 30,000 working poor and homeless people throughout the Lower Mainland received blankets and warm clothing this winter thanks to donations collected during the 22nd annual REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive.

Between November 14 and 21, over 100 real estate offices served as drop-off points for donations. Realtor volunteers collected, sorted and delivered the donations to local charities.

“Unfortunately, there will always be a need for support for those who are less fortunate and struggle during these cold seasons,” Charles Wiebe, Fraser Valley Real Estate Board president said. “I’m proud that, once more, the incredible generosity of our volunteers and those who donated has helped ease some of that struggle.”

A hallmark of the Blanket Drive is that all donations remain in the community in which they were collected. Many charities rely on donations from the program each year to help them through the winter.

Angie Paulson, Clothing Coordinator, NightShift Street Ministries in Surrey, says, “The support of the REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive is critical to our clothing program and helps us meet the needs of our clothing program for many months after the Drive. It’s pretty amazing how much it helps!”

The REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive is the largest and longest running blanket drive in British Columbia. Since the Blanket Drive began in 1994, the program helped more than 305,000 people in our communities keep warm and dry during the winter months.

For more information, go to www.blanketdrive.ca. For a selection of photos from the Blanket Drive, visit www.facebook.com/BlanketDrive.

The REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive is a partnership between the Realtors of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver, the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board and the Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board and their communities.