Here we are at the end of February already, and what a strange mix of weather we have been having this month! The past two days have felt like a hint at spring, yet there is a winter storm arriving tomorrow, which is supposed to be dropping 20 to 30 cm snow on us!! The past two weeks have been quite busy on the donation front. We have been blessed with 6 separate donations since our last update on February 11th. We want to thank all of these most generous and kind individuals for their part in helping Project Dignity continue doing our outreach consistently every two weeks. Without you guys, we couldn’t possibly do that! Thank you!
The first two donations came in just before our last outreach on February 15th, so we actually passed along many of the items already. We want to say a big thanks first to Beau’s co-worker Heather, who donated 2 full bags of both men’s and women’s clothing, including ski pants, winter jacket, thick leather jacket, large carrying bag, rain pants & jacket, 4 fleece, 3 long-sleeved T’s, 3 sweaters, 4 hoodies, neck warmer, and 3 tuques.
A second thank you goes to our dear neighbour and friend Nicole, who again gave us a large donation of men’s items, such as 2 new pairs of size 13 running shoes, a new pair of size 12 winter boots, multiple pairs of boxers & socks, 2 winter jackets, jeans, 2 belts, dress shirt, sweater, multiple jogging pants, 6 sweatshirts, 2 tuques, and 3 packages of cookies. Many of these items have already been passed on, including the new winter boots, who are now keeping a fellow named Peter’s feet warm and dry! He passes on his thanks to you, Nicole.
The other four donations came in after our last outreach weekend. Our beautiful eldest daughter Tiffany passed along two bags full of a large variety of women’s items, as well as multiple pairs of socks, mitts, and a tuque. Thank you so much, sweetie! Another huge thank you goes out to our dear friend and neighbour Sharon, who again arranged for two separate donations.
The first was from her co-worker Mary, who passed along a bag containing 8 toothbrushes & large tubes of toothpaste, deodorant, tuque, thick socks, and 5 individual-sized boxes of Rice Crispies. Thank you so much, Mary! The second donation was from Sharon’s sister Sandra, who passed along two full bags of clothing and other items.
They included 1 ½ pack of coffee cups, multiple toiletry items, toothpaste/toothbrushes, 6 carrying bags, ball cap, tuque, dress shirt, golf shirt, long sleeve T’s, undershirt, 6 new boxers, 6 pairs of socks, and 8 mostly new t-shirts. Thank you so much, Sandra, for your most generous donation!
The last donation was from our dear friends Debbie and Moe, who passed along 3 full bags of mainly men’s items, such as 6 cargo pants, 5 pairs of jeans, 2 shorts, 2 dress shirts, turtle neck, fleece, swim shorts, t-shirts, gloves, packsack, as well as women’s jeans, multiple sweaters, tops, dresses, skirt, blouse, runners, summer shoes, and red high heels. Thank you so much, Debbie and Moe, for believing in Project Dignity. All of these items will be passed on directly to those who need them the most. Some of the women’s items will be passed on to other organizations that are dedicated to helping vulnerable women since we encounter mainly men while we are doing our outreach work. During all of our outreaches, we can see firsthand that these donations really do help keep many individuals warmer and drier during these cold winter months!
Our next outreach (# 25) is planned for this Saturday, February 29th, weather permitting. We should be arriving in front of the Salvation Army on George St. by 10:30 AM. Anyone wanting to join us for a coffee/hot chocolate and chat is more than welcome. We also certainly welcome extra helping hands during our busy outreach time! Donations can also be dropped off directly to Project Dignity during that time.
We want to thank each and every one of you for any and all donations. Without all of you, we couldn’t do what we do!