Employees and volunteers from Gateway in Toronto prepare care packages for men leaving the shelter

Clients at The Salvation Army Gateway men's shelter in Toronto will receive the gift of dignity, respect and recovery in the form of a care package as they transition from the shelter system to their own apartments.

The packages, which were prepared by employees and volunteers from Gateway and The Salvation Army Oakville Recycling Centre, include essentials such as pots, pans, utensils, toiletries and linens.

This project is made possible by Hockey Helps the Homeless, which donated $10,000 to help purchase the contents for the packages. With that donation, The Salvation Army was able to prepare 96 packages.

“Without this funding we would not be able to offer this amazing gift of hope to our clients,” said Dion Oxford, director of Gateway.

Derek Gamelin, distribution manager, and Bill May, facilities and logistics manager for National Recycling Operations, helped assemble the packages.

“This is our fourth year working with Gateway on this project and it's something that we look forward to doing every year,” said Gamelin. “It's amazing to think how just a few hours of our time and effort to package these new home kits will contribute so much to help these men turn their lives around.”