Media Alert - The War on Winter: Arming the Homeless Against Death by Exposure

TORONTO, Jan. 21, 2014 /CNW/ - As Toronto and surrounding communities continue to brace for minus double digit temperatures and artic wind-chills, concern for the well-being of the homeless and those at risk of being homeless is on the rise. In response to a growing need for life saving necessities to help those less fortunate survive winter on the streets, Project Winter Survival will distribute 3000 Winter Survival Kits through approximately 200 homeless shelters, social service agencies and outreach providers: Saturday, January 25, 2014; 12 pm; The Bargains Group; 890 Caledonia Road, Toronto.

With the relentless cold that has gripped the GTA and took the life of a homeless man, the demand for Winter Survival Kits continues to mount the 11,000 kits requested in 2013 and far exceeds the number of kits that Project Winter Survival can supply. "Project Winter Survival has become a life-line for those agencies who front-line poverty and homelessness," said Jody Steinhauer, Project Winter Survival founder. "These kits have become a vital tool to help outreach providers approach those living on the streets: to hopefully get them inside, eventually get them into transitional housing and end the cycle of poverty. No one should die from the cold. Unfortunately, the 3000 kits that we provide can only offer marginal relief."

Now in its 15^th year, Project Winter Survival is an Engage and Change initiative committed to helping those less fortunate endure the hardships of winter by providing such necessities for the needy as: sleeping bags, blankets, winter hats, toiletries, bottled water and healthy snacks, etc. Since its inception in 1999 and including this campaign, Project Winter Survival will have packed and distributed 21,000 survival kits to those at risk of death by exposure to the elements, and relies solely on corporate and community donations to meet the growing demands of relief agencies and shelters across the GTA.

For more information or to make a donation, visit www.projectwintersurvival.org or www.engageandchange.org.

When: Saturday, January 25, 2014

Time: 12 pm

Where: The Bargains Group Ltd., 890 Caledonia Rd, Toronto

What: Approximately 200 agencies and shelters will pick-up 3,000 Project Winter Survival Kits for distribution to the homeless and those at risk of being homeless across the GTA and surrounding communities

Photo-op: 12 pm - Approximately 150 volunteers will load Winter Survival Kits onto agency vehicles
Time TBD - Street nurse and project advisor, Anne Marie Batten to distribute kits to the homeless in the downtown core

SOURCE: Project Winter Survival

RSVP: Francisca Gambino, francis G communications, 416-432-4599 or [email protected]