Walls of kindness collect close to 1,000 winter coats for people experiencing homelessness in Montreal

Between November 14 and 27, Montrealers were asked to hang winter coats on two Walls of kindness, set up by Renaissance at the corners of Sainte-Catherine/Bourbonnière and Iberville/Masson. The drive received strong media support and was shared extensively on social media. Montrealers answered the call.

Éric St-Arnaud, CEO of Renaissance, and James Hughes, President and CEO of the Old Brewery Mission, were there to hand out dozens of coats to users of the Patricia Mackenzie Pavilion.

“Once again, the public responded generously, making our first Walls of kindness a great collective success story,” said Éric St-Arnaud. “The Walls of kindness are an extension of Renaissance’s mission. It’s a different way to do good and make a difference in people’s lives.”

Renaissance collected nearly 300 coats on the Walls and others were picked up directly on the street by people in need over the course of the two weeks. To help as many people as possible, Renaissance topped up the donations by adding coats from its thrift stores, bringing the total to 1,000.

“This gift is very timely,” said James Hughes. “Winter weather is setting in. Our reserves of warm clothing and the donations received to date weren’t enough to meet the demand. But thanks to Renaissance and the generosity of Montrealers, we will be able to keep hundreds of people experiencing homelessness warm this winter.”