Winter is on its way, and with it comes the need for warm clothing for adults and children alike in the Altona area.
The Share the Warmth program has been running a clothing drive in partnership with the South Central Regional Library Altona Branch for the past month, inviting the community to drop off new or gently used winter gear at the bin located in front of the library.
The response, shares program coordinator Margarita Campos-Rosa, has been nothing short of amazing.
“We’ve already filled three bins,” she said last week, noting the bin went out Sept. 20 and was slated to stay in place until Nov. 1, but the library has since agreed to become a permanent drop-off site for the program. “They have been absolutely wonderful and I’m very excited that they decided to partner with us.”
Campos-Rosa also sends thank-you shout-outs to West Park School in Altona, KC’s Shoe Repair in Winkler, and Altona Farm Service for the donations they’ve made this fall that will help keep a lot of people warm through the winter.
“I love that the community is coming together and supporting this,” she said. “Share the Warmth is a passion project, if you will, and it just means so much to me to have other people reaching out and wanting to collaborate. I can’t even express in words how much that means to me.
“The mission is simple, but I think it’s powerful as well: to ensure that everyone in the community has access to warm winter clothing.”
In 2024, Share the Warmth distributed winter jackets, toques, gloves, and boots to over 250 families.
“The need is there, and we’ve grown,” Campos-Rosa said, explaining they work not only with the local community centre but also with schools throughout Altona and the RM of Rhineland, with Regional Connections Immigrant Services, and with Genesis House to get clothing into the hands of the people who need it most.
And they do that not just in winter, but year-round, accepting and distributing donations of spring and fall outerwear as well.
“It helps us to serve everyone that might be in need,” said Campos-Rosa, noting that if you’re cleaning lighter jackets out of your closet during fall cleaning, they’ll take those too to distribute next spring.
The program has what volunteers affectionately call the “boutique” set up in The Community Exchange in Altona (116 Main Street) where people can come and peruse all the available items.
“We created a brick and mortar location there to be able to give families or individuals a respectful, private setting to be able to shop,” Campos-Rosa explained, noting people can drop-in at the centre during its regular hours or arrange an after-hours appointment with her by calling 204-304-6338 or emailing sharethewarmthinfo@gmail.com.
No proof of hardship is required to get help—they trust people will only access this service if they truly need it.
“I think just to be able to stand up and say ‘I have a need’ is pretty brave and hard,” Campos-Rosa observed. “We have created this environment that encompasses around compassion, discretion, and dignity, so we don’t currently ask for proof of income or anything like that. We’re running on a trust basis.”
Many program users will donate items back to Share the Warmth as their kids outgrow them, creating an ongoing cycle of giving.
“It’s almost like a check-in, check-out system,” observed Campos-Rosa. “When you see these parents come in with their children and they’re seeing that pass it forward attitude in action—the best thing we can do for our children is be the example, live the example that we want for them. Whether it’s bringing them into volunteer or showing them, you know, we borrowed this, this was a need that we had, but we’re giving it back now so someone else can use it, I think we’re just setting ourselves up so much for our future.”
As the days get increasingly colder, the program can use just about any kind of winter gear, though boots of all sizes and mittens/gloves are most in need right now.
“That is something that we go through a lot every year,” Campos-Rosa said. “We have babies that come through all the way up to grown adults, so we try to keep as many sizes in stock.”
And if they’re short on something, they will head out to local thrift shops and stores to see if they fill that gap. Which is why if you don’t have winter clothing to donate, the program also gratefully accepts monetary donations. Simply contact Campos-Rosa at the email or phone number listed above.
