Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board Packs Container with REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive Donations for Community Members in Need of Warmth
The Chilliwack and District Real Estate Board (CADREB) brought 18 volunteers together to pack a container full of donations of warm winter items and food, marking the successful conclusion of the 30th annual REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive. Once safely stowed away, the donations were delivered to local charity partners supporting community members who are experiencing or at-risk of homelessness or facing food insecurity.
From November 12 to 19, volunteers from CADREB, worked in lockstep alongside their counterparts from the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board (FVREB) and Greater Vancouver REALTORS®, collecting and organizing donations as part of the 30th edition of the REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive. In the Chilliwack region, on top of collecting donations of warm winter clothing, blankets and sleeping bags, volunteers also put a call out for food donations, in response to the growth of food insecurity seen across the country.
“We had a great turnout of donated items this year,” said Crystal De Jager, REALTOR® and Salesperson with RE/MAX Nyda Realty. “The community was very generous.”
In Chilliwack and Agassiz, brokerage offices served as drop-off hubs for donations from REALTORS® and community members alike. In Hope, REALTOR® volunteers hosted a one-day donation drop-off event at the Northwest Harvest Church. In total, CADREB volunteers collected 185 bags of donations.
These essential items were loaded into a shipping container on November 20, ready for delivery to CADREB’s blanket drive charity partners, including Ruth and Naomi’s Mission, the Salvation Army, and Agassiz-Harrison Community Services. The donations will go a long way in helping these organizations support their clientele throughout the harsh winter months.
At Ruth and Naomi’s Mission, staff and volunteers provide a range of services in support of families facing poverty, homelessness, and addiction. The Salvation Army supports many members in need across the region through services like their food bank and emergency shelter. Agassiz-Harrison Community Services supports the communities of Agassiz and Harrison Hot Spring with a variety of programs including their food bank, thrift store and addictions services.
“This will help us stock the clothing shelves for a while and will keep people warm and dry through the months ahead,” said Scott Gaglardi, Executive Director of Ruth and Naomi’s Mission.
The REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive, which began in 1994, has grown into one of the largest annual collections of warm clothing and blankets in the region. Over the past three decades, this initiative has helped more than 480,000 community members in need stay warm during the winter months. Each year, more than 18,000 REALTORS® from the Chilliwack, Fraser Valley and Greater Vancouver regions collaborate to collect and distribute donations, demonstrating the power of community and collective effort.
As volunteers finished packing up the container, they felt accomplished knowing how these donations will help, but also driven to continue supporting those in their community challenged with food insecurity or experiencing homelessness.
Throughout the year, CADREB provides support to their community, including through an annual sponsorship of Chilliwack Community Services. The organization also donated to local charities including the Salvation Army and Streams Foundation Canada and supports natural disaster relief efforts within British Columbia.
