21st annual REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive delivers warm clothing and blankets south of the Fraser

SURREY, BC – December 18, 2015 – Between November 16 to 23, the 21st annual REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive collected over 1000 bags of warm clothing and blankets to help an estimated 5000 working poor and homeless in Abbotsford, Mission, Langley, Surrey, North Delta and White Rock. The donations were collected at 35 real estate offices across the Fraser Valley, sorted by 37 REALTOR® volunteers, and delivered directly to 22 local charities.

One of the hallmarks of the Blanket Drive is that all donations remain in the communities in which they were collected. Many recipient charities rely on donations from the Blanket Drive to help them through the winter.

“The way that Realtors give back to our community through the REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive is both incredible and impactful,” said Angie Paulson, Clothing Coordinator for NightShift Street Ministries. “They help us keep folks in need and on the street warm and dry.”

While the volume of donations collected this year in the Fraser Valley was less than previous years, Realtor volunteers noticed that the quality of the donations was much better.

In Surrey, volunteer leader Sheila Potter says, “I really noticed that people put a lot of thought into what they gave; they really considered what they would like to receive for themselves if facing similar conditions, like new socks and underwear.”

Volunteer Realtors continue to feel a strong sense of accomplishment when helping with the Drive because they’re making a noticeable difference in their communities.

“No matter how many bags we accumulate, we know we’ve made a difference in at least one person’s life. That’s why I help out whenever I can,” says long time Blanket Drive volunteer Michele Cartwright.

The REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive is a partnership between the Realtors of the Fraser Valley, Greater Vancouver and Chilliwack and District real estate boards and their communities. For more information on the program, go to www.blanketdrive.ca. For a selection of photos from the Blanket Drive, visitwww.facebook.com/BlanketDrive.