TORONTO -- A British Columbia woman is sending out thousands of Christmas greetings to strangers in hopes of spreading a little Christmas cheer to those going through a tough time.
Erin Schute founded The Christmas Card Collective three years ago while volunteering at a homeless shelter in B.C. She originally had a goal of sending 300 holiday cards out to shelters and has exceeded her expectations for the project each year.
“I've really wanted to bring back the true meaning of Christmas,” she told CTV News. “It can’t be bought in a store.”
This time around, Schute expects to send out 10,000 cards from strangers hoping to spread a little positivity to those struggling.
“These cards have given a lot of people the ability to share very intimate and personal messages at this time of the year to people that are having a really hard time,” she said.
Schute receives cards with heartfelt messages from all over Canada, including from sports teams, after-school groups and businesses. The cards are then read and sent to homeless shelters all over North America.
The messages include “Whoever you are, wherever you are, blessings to you” and “Believe in yourself when times are hard, because we believe in you.”
In Surrey, B.C., where the homeless population is among the highest Canada, more than 100 people at the Surrey Urban Mission are expected to receive a card through the collective.
“It's huge out here, that need for community and belonging,” said Michael Musgrove, the executive director of the shelter. “It lets people know that there are people out there that care.”
According to a provincial government report from 2018, there are more than 7,500 homeless people in British Columbia, including 3,605 living in Metro Vancouver.
