Homeless Teens Gear Up For Winter

The Knox United Church was teeming with volunteers and homeless youth enjoying friendly chatter and free food on Thursday, November 5 for the sixth annual Gear Up for Winter event. In an effort to raise awareness of youth homelessness and equip homeless youth with essential winter items to help them face winter temperatures, the attendees were given backpacks, which they could fill with donated winter jackets, hoodies, towels and personal hygiene items. There was also access to flu and pneumonia shots, haircuts and information on support services.

Many volunteers, such as University of Calgary nursing students giving out flu shots, and various businesses from across the city, came together to make this event a success.

"We managed to collect four overflowing pick-up truck loads of winter wear last year thanks to generous donations, and being one of the people lucky enough to volunteer at the actual event, I saw firsthand how needed, important, and appreciated it was," says Kati LeClair, owner of Blame Betty Boutique, a contributing business. "A large amount of volunteers, organizations, and different businesses put a ton of work and time into this event each year because these kids deserve this from us," she adds.

As the temperature falls well below zero, volunteers and staff who work with homeless youth start to feel the pressure. At the church, everyone was preparing to face what could be a devastating winter for Calgary's homeless population, with shelters filling up and little sign of relief until summer. The sad fact is that there simply are not enough beds available for all of the homeless youth in this city, and these kids do end up sleeping outdoors in freezing temperatures.

Almost everyone’s got some old winter wear in their closets though, and so it was heart-warming to see the generosity of all the donors at the event.