Oakville family hands out blankets to Toronto’s homeless

The Christmas spirit of giving was alive and well in one Oakville family as they handed out blankets to the homeless as the snow began to fall in Toronto on Monday night.

Roger Brenninkmeyer and his family aren’t associated with any charitable organization but felt they wanted to do something to help others this holiday season.

“It’s a pretty good night to distribute,” he said as snow began to fall on Queen Street East, just east of Church Street. “People are going to be cold.”

Inspired by a friend who was going to donate 100 blankets to the homeless, Brenninkmeyer suggested they add 50 more to give to those in need. They set up a donation box at a local coffee shop where members of the community could drop off blankets to aid in his cause.

“It’s a blanket, symbolic of warmth and Christmas is all about warmth and giving,” he explained. “It’s our way of being able to actually give a bit of warmth.”

And it’s a feeling he wanted to share with his family. Brenninkmeyer’s wife and three children joined him on his mission of good will.

“(We wanted to) teach our kids a little bit about the realities of Toronto and some of the challenges we all face,” he said. “Hopefully homelessness can, one day, be something of the past.”