The Langley Home Depot kicked off its Orange Door fundraising campaign Sept. 1, with 100 per cent of funds raised going to Encompass Support Services Society.
Customers shopping at the store can donate $2 at the checkout in exchange for an orange paper door. All donations will stay in the community to help Encompass Support Services Society provide supports to homeless and at-risk youth, including a youth street outreach worker and a youth homelessness initiative.
“Youth homelessness is one of the most urgent social issues in Canada today. Together with our community we’re building a brighter future for young people across Canada —one orange door at a time,” said Jeff Kinnaird, board chair of The Home Depot Canada Foundation and president of Home Depot Canada.
Youth in Langley have come together in conjunction with the Orange Door campaign in hopes of opening an emergency youth homeless shelter. Langley currently does not have a facility to take in youth overnight who are in crisis. Currently they have to go to Surrey or Abbotsford.
The youth task force is also organizing an outdoor concert fundraiser on Sept. 24 at the field at the Langley Events Centre from 1 to 4 p.m.
Currently there are more than 162 Langley youth identified as homeless, with actual numbers expected to be higher. The youth task force also plan to line Langley Bypass with 162 people in October to demonstrate just how many youth are in need in Langley.
The Orange Door Project was established with the goal of eliminating youth homelessness in Canada. In total, 182 Home Depot Canada stores are taking part in this year’s campaign by selling paper orange doors in-store, and by rolling up their sleeves to help local charities complete renovation projects that will help the organizations feel more like home.
The campaign runs from Sept. 1 to Oct. 9.
The 10 stores that raise the most money by the end of the campaign will have their donations matched by The Home Depot Canada
QUICK FACTS:
• The Orange Door Project in-store fundraising campaign has raised more than $5.4 million since its inception in 2007.
• In 2015, Home Depot Canada associates donated 60,000 hours of hands-on help in their communities.
• Youth are one of the fastest growing segments of the homeless population in Canada. One in five shelter users in Canada are youth aged 16 to 24.
• Every night, 6,000 young people in Canada either sleep outside or go to an emergency shelter. Even more are part of a hidden homeless population who ‘couch surf’ with family or friends.
