Woman starts #SubZeroSelfie campaign to raise money for the homeless

Allie Kosela started the #SubZeroSelfie campaign with this Twitter photo, on Friday, Feb. 13, 2014.

When Allie Kosela checked her phone Friday morning, she saw her friends posting about how bitterly cold it was in Toronto.

Temperatures were recorded at – 24 C, making it the coldest day of the year so far in 2015.

Kosela immediately thought of how homeless Torontonians were dealing with the temperature.

“I thought, you know what, I’m going to take a selfie, join the conversation and challenge people to do something good,” says the digital communications consultant.

Just before 8 a.m., Kosela snapped a selfie in her parka and let her Twitter followers know that she had donated to the Yonge Street Mission, which provides food and shelter to local homeless people.

She challenged others to do the same and was impressed by the response. At least a dozen snapped their own photos with the hashtag #SubZeroSelfie and several promised donations to charities that help the homeless.

Angie Draskovic, president and CEO of the Yonge Street Mission, says the campaign is a good way to help the estimated 5,000 people in Toronto who are either sleeping on friends’ couches, in temporary shelters or roughing it outdoors.

“It creates awareness and ultimately support,” she says. “Think about how cold it is even to just wait for a bus. Then think about the risks of not having a place to go at night.”

Sometimes, it can be deadly. A man died when a makeshift shelter he lived in caught fire last month in Toronto. Earlier last month, two other homeless men were found frozen to death outside in Toronto.

Draskovic says another good way to raise awareness and funds is to support the upcoming Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser.

On Feb. 21, about 10,000 Canadians will march in sub-zero temperatures, so that fewer homeless will need to freeze in the future.