Montreal's homeless warm up with donated blankets
With the cold weather setting in, one Montreal business is trying to share a bit of holiday cheer this weekend by giving out 100 blankets to the city's homeless population.
Zzak Sleep is a young mattress company — it's been in business less than six months — but employees wanted to put some of the extra cloth that was piling up to good use.
"We had it piled up to the ceiling," said spokesperson Talia Scatliff. "We wanted to recycle it and recycle it in a way that was meaningful."
Scatliff says the company, based in Ville Saint-Laurent, is committed to producing locally and wanted to give back to the community.
"I believe it actually shows love and that we're giving, and that it might actually put a little bit of hope and warmth into their hearts," she said.
The idea itself came from Manon Daneau, who works for Fil-a-fill, Zzak Sleep's partner textile company where the mattress covers are made.
In a span of a few weeks, Daneau took the scraps and collected them, working overtime alongside her daughters sewing the blankets.
"I can't bring myself to throw all this fabric away. So it all just piled up and I had to figure out what to do with it," she said.
Daneau said she's happy to think that the small gesture might make a difference in someone's life.
"I find it inconceivable that people sleep on the street. I thought this was the ideal way to recycle it."
The company is hoping other Montreal businesses will follow suit and think about getting creative with their textile waste.
As temperatures continue to drop, the City of Montreal announced it will invest almost $800,000 in emergency resources for homeless people and oversee the opening of a new heat shelter.
