Winnipeg woman collecting winter boots to help others bundle up

Have an old pair of winter boots kicking around? One Winnipeg woman is collecting them to help others bundle up. 

Robyn Brown runs the family centre at Hastings School, a recipient of Koats for Kids each winter. The centre offers drop-in programs, community outreach, and food and clothing assistance programs. 

She says every year, they receive plenty of coats, but not enough winter boots.

So she decided to take matters into her own hands, creating her own boot drive in her Riverview neighbourhood. 

Brown says she sees a lot of families come through the school who don't have vehicles, so a good pair of boots can make all the difference. 

"That's the difference between being able to send your child to school or not for the day because you can't send them in runners and maybe you can't walk them to school and your runners either," Brown says. 

"So we're hoping that just by giving them the pair of boots, that can open up a lot of other opportunities for them."

Brown says she's looking for boots that are lined, and can withstand Manitoba's frigid weather. 

Any extra boots will be donated to the North Point Douglas Women's Centre or Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, among others. 

Donations of new or lightly used boots can be dropped off at the Riverview Community Centre at 90 Ashland Avenue.

You can also bring them to Parkline Coffee at 685 Osborne, Little Treehugger at 776 Corydon Avenue, and Auto Gallery of Winnipeg at 3777 Portage Avenue.

If you have a coat to donate, Koats for Kids accepts donations at Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Stations.

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