Warm up to resource raising
by Taneal Szeponski
the Carillon

Share the Warmth
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Start setting aside your “warm fuzzies” because Share the Warmth begins this week.

The recycling program, created by SaskEnergy and the United Way, works to collect various items to help families in need. Saskatchewan, known for its miles of beautiful flat lands, relentlessly leaves no shelter to hide from the wind and bitter cold of the climate. For many low-income families and individuals across the province, dressing adequately to prepare for the temperature poses a stressful problem. Share the Warmth to the rescue!

A member of the SaskEnergy executive group brought the campaign to life 11 years ago. Beginning in local malls, volunteers from SaskEnergy sorted and folded various items that had been dropped off by supporting citizens. At the end of the week, the articles were picked up and distributed to families and individuals in Regina and surrounding areas.

Share the Warmth has since become a province-wide program, collecting scarves, blankets, jackets, mittens, glove, toques, sweaters, ski-pants and children’s items. Several towns, regions and organizations have avidly become involved. Geographical locations are not an issue, as companies such as Jay’s Moving and Storage Company, Bell’s Moving Systems and Transwest Air transport items to needy individuals in northern Saskatchewan.

This marks the second year the University of Regina takes part in this event. Running from Wednesday, October 27 to Monday, November 8, bins will be set in place at the University of Regina Students’ Union (URSU) office in the Riddell Center, as well as outside of room 107 at Luther College.

The residences of Luther College are conducting a competition to see which floor can collect the warmest fuzzies. Chaplain Cheryl Kristolaitis will donate $75 dollars to a charity of the winning floor’s choice. Last year the donation went to the Hospitals of Regina Foundation to go towards the Neo-Natal Unit. This proves any amount of contribution to this project will be beneficial to others in more ways than imagined.

Last year Kristin Kutarna Gates, the Community Involvement Coordinator of SaskEnergy, received a distraught call from a young woman whose parents and brother had been left homeless due to a house fire the previous evening. Thanks to Share the Warmth, the young woman was able to find a few jackets and sweaters for each. The next morning a very friendly couple came into the office to arrange for a few articles to be delivered to a house they were renting, while theirs was being repaired after fire damage. It was then that Kristen recognized they were wearing the same jackets she had given to the young woman the day before. Kristen sincerely comments, “It felt really good to help such a nice couple in a very difficult time.”

Last year, over 110,000 warm fuzzies were collected, bringing the ten-year total to over 650,000 articles.

Luther College is looking for volunteers to help categorize, fold and bag articles to be prepared for pick up. For more information, contact Kristolaitis at 585-5028 or Darlene at the main office at 585-5333.