Started in 2005, Blanket BC Society is an award-winning non-profit organization that collects and distributes blankets and warm clothing to shelter programs and families in need. The mission of the Blanket BC Society is to provide “warmth from the heart” all year long by collecting blankets and warm clothing for shelter programs, First Nations communities and families in need.
Gregory Ould started the Blanket BC Society 18 years ago when he saw a vulnerable homeless man on a chilly winter night. Gregory asked him what he could do to help him, and the man asked for a blanket to save himself from the biting cold. That one basic request catapulted Greg’s commitment to collect and distribute blankets and warm clothing to shelter programs and families in need. His mission is to not only help those in need but to raise awareness of homelessness, poverty, and socioeconomic needs to foster “beautiful communities” (BC) while also encouraging volunteerism at an early age. To date, Gregory and his kids have distributed over 700,000 blankets.
In November 2023, Blanket BC Society held its 13th annual “Drive on the Line” campaign to help keep society’s most vulnerable people warm during the bitterly chilly winter months. The two-day campaign, which took place on November 17th and 18th, was joined by over 200 volunteers – from individuals to families to corporate teams – who selflessly collected donations from passengers and the public at 9 stations along the Canada Line: Waterfront Station, Yaletown, Vancouver City, Broadway, Oakridge, Marine Drive, Bridgeport, Lansdowne, and Richmond Brighouse. It is heart-warming to see so many people coming together to be effective and bring some much-needed warmth to those in need.
Supporting and donating to the Blanket Society BC can make an enormous difference in the lives of the less fortunate. The society has identified that the most requested items are socks, scarves, mittens, toques, and blankets. All donated items are distributed among over one hundred shelter programs and organizations that directly work with the most impoverished individuals and families across Metro Vancouver, the Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast, bringing warmth and comfort to those in need.
You can join Gregory and support him in this noble initiative all year long. We find Gregory and his family to be an example of the Politest Canadians, who go above and beyond their line of duty to help those in need.
You can learn more about the Blanket BC Society here