Last weekend, Airdronian Shiah Plaxton and her family dropped off three vehicles full of winter supplies for the homeless in downtown Calgary thanks to the generous donations of Airdronians.

While grateful for being able to help out many people with the donated items, Plaxton was sad they were not able to help everybody who asked for it.

"Some people came later on and unfortunately we were out of stuff to give away. But we will be back on Sunday."

Plaxton does want to thank Airdronian Noah De Roy who reached out and offered a helping hand sorting all the donated clothes last week while also using his vehicle to help transport the items collected.

This Sunday, Plaxton will take all new donations they receive to the Central United Church in Calgary, whose primary focus is handing out warm meals from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. adding in their collected items to those trying to stay warm.

The idea of helping the homeless came from a recent visit to the downtown core when Plaxton was at a Calgary Flames game walking to the train and ended up having a conversation with somebody living out on the streets.

"A man came up to us asking if I had change. Usually, I only carry my card but he was in luck I had $5 in change which can’t really get him much. I asked him what he needed and if there was anything I could do to help him out. He told me that given the weather, blankets and pillows or anything to keep people on the streets warm would be perfect."

This event spurred, Plaxton to go through all of her family belongings and find items to donate, but Plaxton wanted to gather significantly more donations to hand out so she sent out a few messages on social media and the responses have been amazing.

With all the success they found and people donating to their cause, Plaxton has recently made a Facebook page called Hands for YYC.

Here is a list of the most popular items and most asked-for items that they are hoping to collect more of before they go back to Calgary:

  • Feminine products
  • Bathroom products (shampoo/conditioner/lotion/toothpaste/toothbrush)
  • Jackets
  • Blankets/pillows
  • Non-perishable foods
  • Hats/mittens/socks
  • Backpacks
  • Bandaids

As mentioned, they are gathering more donations this week before they go back to Calgary to help out more homeless people. Plaxton does want to invite anybody who wants to go down and lend a helping hand to contact her and join in. Plaxton can be reached by her Facebook profile which you can message by clicking HERE.

Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com. You can also message and follow us on Twitter: @AIR1061FM

DiscoverAirdrie encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the DiscoverAirdrie app. For breaking news, weather and contest alerts click here.

Related Stories