A North Delta woman is asking for your help to brighten up the holidays for people living on the streets.
At a time when warm socks and care packages are usually collected, Erin Schulte is instead asking for Christmas cards — 10,000 of them.
They can be homemade, store-bought or maybe just a short note, but what matters most is that those cards are filled with heart-warming words, she says.
“There’s just something special about receiving a hand-written card with a beautiful message in them, selfless words of hope and compassion, and just reminding the homeless that they are being thought of at this time of year,” Schulte said.
“For the homeless, they simply go into the shelter at seven o’clock at night and there’s a card sitting on a pillow, and that’s the only thing they are going to receive and so the words that are in those cards, you never know if maybe that’s what’s going to give them hope and get up the next day and keep them going.”
She started the Christmas Card Collective three years ago, sending a few hundred cards to local shelters. Now it’s exploded, with shelters in Alberta, Ontario, Seattle and Los Angeles asking for cheerful cards.
“They come from everyone you can imagine, you can get one from an athlete one night, the next night you can get one from someone who is an in-patient in the hospital. It’s very broad from 80 to three years old.”
Shulte is using this initiative to remind people that Christmas isn’t just about giving gifts.
“I’ve been blessed to visit kids staying in hospital, I’ve gone in there and given a talk to them about the true meaning of Christmas and homelessness and addiction and sat with them and they wrote in cards, it really is beautiful.
“This year I’m stressing that Christmas is not about making a list, and knocking it off a list and wrapping it in paper. I really want people to know that Christmas is a feeling in your heart — it cannot be bought in any store.”
If you would like to help out and send some festive cards, more information can be found here.
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