For years, I have been proud to participate in the annual REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive, the longest running blanket drive in the Lower Mainland! As a Surrey Real Estate Agent, I felt it was important to support the community in which I live and work. Since 1995, more than 165,000 people have received clothing or a blanket from the annual drive. You can find the Blanket Drive on Facebook! Watch a quick video explaining the Drive.
Needed donations (new or gently used) include:
- Blankets and sleeping bags
- Warm clothing – coats, jeans, pants, sweaters
- Scarves, gloves, mitts, hats
- New socks and underwear
The REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive Story
Way back in 1995, some caring REALTORS® in Vancouver observed the homeless situation in the city’s Eastside and said to themselves, We’ve got to do something.
They put out an appeal to their fellow colleagues for warm blankets and coats and collected 600 bags of donations specifically dedicated to Vancouver’s homeless in the downtown core.
That single act of kindness has blossomed into one of the largest annual collections of warm clothing and blankets, helping homeless people and the working poor in every single community in the Lower Mainland.
Seventeen years later, thousands of REALTORS® from Whistler to Chilliwack have collected enough donations to help more than 166,000 people in need. Each year, more than 75 dedicated members actually pick-up and deliver all the donations, and well over 100 real estate offices in the Lower Mainland act as collection depots.
The annual REALTORS Care® Drive now collects an astonishing 5,000 plus bags of warm, winter items on behalf of dozens of local charities.
