Regina volunteers spread the gift of warm gloves on cold winter nights
After spending most of the day walking Regina's streets, Toby Kelsch feels his feet and hands freezing in the cold as night approaches.
"I feel numb and lonely, and in pain. Walking around with cold feet is painful," he says as he contemplates another night with no shelter.
As he pushes his shopping cart with his possessions down the sidewalk, a voice cuts through the night toward him — a volunteer offering a little warmth through a White Pony Lodge initiative.
"Hi sir, would you like a sandwich or a pair of gloves?"
Every week, the volunteers at White Pony Lodge patrol the streets in and around Regina's North Central neighbourhood, picking up dangerous or drug-related items.
During those patrols, volunteers found that many people they encountered would say they needed warm winter clothes.
"Mitts and gloves, they pretty much wear out every winter. And when you're experiencing homelessness, you don't have a place to put your winter stuff year-to-year," says White Pony board member Nicki Clarke.
Lodge volunteers tried to fill the gap by buying dollar store gloves or mittens made out of reused sweaters to give away, but Clarke said one encounter led her to believe that was not enough. One woman's hands were so cold as Clarke wrapped them with scarves that she felt sure the person was at risk of losing her fingers.
So four years ago, White Pony Lodge volunteers started focusing their efforts on purchasing quality mittens to give away.
White Pony Lodge partners with a Toronto-based company that sells gloves that retail for $40 each to the non-profit group for $8 each. (CBC News)
They now partner with a Toronto-based company that supplies high quality, waterproof gloves that retail for $40 at a cost of $8 each for the non-profit.
"They're hearty, they're durable, they can last the winter," says Clarke, noting that people are pleasantly surprised by the gift. "When we hand them a brand new pair of good, quality gloves, you can see their eyes light up."
Since the initiative began, volunteers have supplied 600 pairs of gloves to people in the North Central neighbourhood, thanks to what Clarke describes as great community support.
"I hope they get as much joy of it as we do. I hope they know how much we appreciate that $8 donation," she says of those who support the campaign.
Volunteers with White Pony Lodge tote a wagon filled with gloves and food to hand out. (Janani Whitfield/CBC)
After Kelsch receives gloves from volunteers, he shakes his hands as he slides them in, then gingerly removes his sneakers to put warmers into them.
"It means a lot. With warm hands you can actually function. With cold hands, you can't even put a boot on or a sock, so it's very important," he says.
Clarke gives him a hug before sending him off with a last sandwich, a doughnut and, of course, the donated gloves.
Kelsch says that without a home, friends or family, a person feels lonely, making that little bit of support and kindness stand out.
"These people here are wonderful."
