Know that good feeling you get someone shares good vibes with you through a warm message, whether it be via text, phone call, or scrolling through social media?
This year, Urban Barn is encouraging Canadians to help spread that warm feeling across Canada as part of its annual Blanket the Country in Warmth initiative.

Blanket the Country in Warmth has achieved much more than its donation numbers. It has rallied Canadians to show community support and spread warmth and good vibes, donating more than 58,000 blankets to shelters across the country since 2012.

This year, Urban Barn wants to make a bigger impact by blanketing the country in warmth figuratively and literally – asking Canadians to support by donating a blanket in-store or online and by sharing a warm message on the Blanket the Country in Warmth website, in-store, and on social media by tagging @UrbanBarn and #Blanketthecountry.

For every in-store donation of $5, Urban Barn will donate a new fleece blanket to a shelter in the community. The program, which runs until October 29, has a goal of 15,000 blankets to distribute to 33 shelters throughout the country.

In 2016, the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness estimated that 35,000 Canadians are homeless on any given night, and at least 235,000 Canadians experience homelessness in a year.

According to Statistics Canada, 3,491 Canadian women and their 2,724 children sleep in shelters on any given night because it isn’t safe at home.