This year marks the 20th anniversary of the largest and longest running blanket drive in the Lower Mainland. Over two decades, the Realtors Care Blanket Drive has helped bring warmth to more than 250,000 residents.
From Nov. 17 to 24, realtors across the region will work with their clients to co-ordinate donations of blankets, sleeping bags, warm winter clothing, and new socks and underwear for those most in need. The donations are then sorted and delivered to charities and organizations in the same area in which they were collected.
They are asking anyone with donations to please drop them off at any of their 100 plus participating real estate offices. To find a participating office near you, go to www.blanketdrive.ca.
The NightShift Street Ministries in Surrey is a longstanding recipient of this program. They recently told us about a young boy who approached a volunteer last year, shivering from living in a cold, damp building.
“Could I please have a blanket?” he asked. Not for himself, but for his younger sister.
“It’s the stories like these that continue to move us and motivate us to make a difference,” says Ray Werger, president of the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board. “As realtors, one of our core values is how we connect with and serve our communities, which is fundamentally what our Blanket Drive is all about; helping our neighbours live a little easier.”
“Twenty incredible years would not be possible without the help of our dedicated volunteers, media support and generous donations from the public. Each year, we’re able to serve even more people like that young boy and his sister, by providing them with quality clothing items and blankets that they really need. Let’s keep that going.”
