Ont. girl hopes to hand out 100 Christmas baskets to homeless

CTV London: Merry Christmas mission A young St. Thomas girl is collecting items to give to the city’s homeless on Christmas Day. Natalie Quinlan has more on her baskets.

A seven-year-old girl from a small Ontario city is looking to bring a slice of joy to homeless people this Christmas.

Reese Russell is creating personalized baskets, containing items ranging from deodorant to shaving cream, to give to members of St. Thomas' homeless community.

She was inspired after witnessing a man dig through garbage and hearing her parents say that he likely wouldn't be celebrating Christmas.

"I felt really bad and I really wanted to help them," she told CTV London.

Reese and her mother decided to post a video on Facebook to encourage donations.

The video has been shared 500 times and viewed more than 20,000 times, helping to boost the profile of the fundraising.

Reese’s good deed hasn't gone unnoticed, with Elgin-Middlesex-London MP Karen Vecchio praising her fundraising efforts in the House of Commons.

The public recognition left Reese's mom speechless.

"When I watched it at work, I started to cry because I just didn't expect any of this to happen," said Nicole Russell, adding that she initially assumed the donations would all come from family members.

Local businesses have joined Reese's efforts, offering space for people to drop donations off.

With all the help from the community, Reese hopes to hand out 100 personalized baskets on December 25.

"They’ll be super happy so they get something for this Christmas," she said.

With a report from CTV London's Natalie Quinlan