The Realtors Care Blanket Drive will combine its traditional collection and distribution of warm clothes and blankets this year with an online fundraiser for partner charities.
The fundraiser runs from Nov. 14 to 21.
The 28-year-old campaign is a partnership among the Lower Mainland’s three real estate boards, the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV), the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB), and the Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board (CADREB).
The public can drop donations with details here.
Realtor volunteers then sort and deliver the donations to charities and organizations in the same area in which they were collected.
“With cold temperatures and increased precipitation forecast for November, our partner charities expect blankets and warm clothing to be in high demand across the region,” said Daniel John, Chair, REBGV. “With the addition of our online fundraiser, people have different options to support this year’s campaign and lend a helping hand to those most in need within our communities.”
Since the Blanket Drive began, the program has helped more than 450,000 people in our communities keep warm and dry.
Items needed are: blankets, sleeping bags, warm clothing (coats, jeans, pants, sweaters), scarves, gloves, mitts, hats, socks (new) and underwear (new).
“Of the many charitable efforts our members take part in, the annual Blanket Drive is among the most rewarding,” said Sandra Benz, President of FVREB. “Each year, this simple yet essential act of providing blankets, clothing and other donations brings out vast numbers of volunteers who use their networks to bring warmth and comfort to our most vulnerable neighbours across the region.”
Each year, more than 18,000 Realtors in the region work with their clients and a network of charitable organizations in Lower Mainland communities to collect and distribute blankets and lightly used clothing to help more than 35,000 residents stay warm during the winter months.
