Many of us have gently used clothing sitting in the back of our closets, wardrobes, and drawers. Don’t leave them in the dark – help connect your warm clothing with their perfect match by participating in the REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive.

This year, we’re looking to bring warmth to struggling Metro Vancouverites by pairing the perfect gently used or new clothing with those in need in our communities.

If you have a lonely item that fits the bill, bring it to your local participating real estate office from November 14–21 and our matchmakers will pair them with the perfect partner.

We have matches for:

• Blankets, sleeping bagsWinter clothing - coats, jeans, pants, sweaters
• Scarves, gloves, mitts, hats 
• Socks (new)
• Underwear (new)

Remember, we’re looking for warmth. No summer clothes please!

If you don’t have any clothing waiting for a perfect match, you can donate financially to our partner charities through the REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive online fundraiser.

We’re looking to raise $15,000 for our charities this year. These funds will help local housing-related charities support their communities with amenities, housing, and more.

You can donate at: https://my.charitableimpact.com/campaigns/2023-realtors-care-blanket-drive

Here's a list of Lower Mainland charities that receive donations from the Blanket Drive.

Way back in 1994, some caring REALTORS® in Vancouver observed the homeless situation in the city’s eastside and said to themselves, we’ve got to do something.

They put out an appeal to their colleagues for warm blankets and coats and collected enough donations to help 3,000 of Vancouver’s homeless in the downtown core.

That single act of kindness has blossomed into one of the largest annual collections of warm clothing and blankets, helping homeless people and the working poor in every single community in the Lower Mainland.

Since then, thousands of REALTORS® from Whistler to Hope have collected enough donations to help more than 480,000 people in need. Each year, more than 75 dedicated members pick-up and deliver all the donations, and well over 100 real estate offices in the Lower Mainland act as collection depots.

The REALTORS Care® Drive now collects an astonishing amount of warm winter items on behalf of dozens of local charities to help about 30,000 people each year.

Working together to provide warmth is why a quilt was chosen to represent 2014's Blanket Drive.

The quilt's patchwork design represents how we work with charities to help relieve the strain of poverty of those in need.

In keeping with this theme, a commemorative quilt was made to mark the Blanket Drive's 20th anniversary.

Blocks with names of real estate offices that act as drop-off locations, images from previous Blanket Drive posters, a brief history of this annual event, and the signatures of past and current volunteers make up the design.

Pictured with the quilt are two of the Realtors who founded this program, and volunteers past and present.