As winter tightens its grip on Oakville, one local charity is urging the community to step up and help those in need. Safetynet Children and Youth Charities, an Oakville-based nonprofit, has issued a call out for men's coats, men's winter boots (size 8 and up), and women's winter boots (size 8 and up) to ensure vulnerable residents in the Halton Region and Mississauga stay warm during the colder months.
“If it was shirts we wouldn’t be putting a call out," said Safetynet's founder and executive director, Bill Shields. "But when it’s coats for families or for even the homeless, it’s a priority.”
Donations can be dropped off at the charity's 5,500-square-foot facility at 166 South Service Road East from Monday to Friday between 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Since 2006, Safetynet has supported the community by offering a range of free services. These include a clothing bank that families can access every four months, a diaper bank available every two weeks, a furniture and houseware bank, as well as one-on-one tutoring services in academics and piano, which Shields believes helps break the cycle of poverty.
In recent years, demand for the charity’s services has surged, particularly for its clothing bank. Last year alone, Safetynet registered 1,700 new families, bringing the total to 8,000. The clothing bank saw 4,086 visits and distributed 87,500 pieces of clothing in 2024 alone, Shields said.
“Either through COVID or inflation, people can’t afford the basics,” Shields said. “The people coming through the door simply just cannot afford clothing.”
Shields also says the increase of asylum seekers and people in transitional housing has also led to a growing increase in clothing goods and other services.
The rising demand has also brought new challenges. “There’s a higher level of desperation for things,” Shields said. "This is something new in the last six months."
In response, the charity recently eliminated its 24/7 clothing donation bins in December 2024, due to people breaking into them and damaging some of the useable clothes in the process. The service bank facility also got cameras installed as a precaution.
“That’s an expense for the charities you don’t want to spend on,” Shields said.
Despite the donation bins being eliminated, Shields says the public has been very supportive in donating useable clothes, especially during the facility's opening hours.
“The community is always very supportive of us," he said.
With temperatures dropping, Safetynet hopes the community will continue to rally and provide winter essentials to help vulnerable residents stay warm and safe.