A local charity works year-round to bring comfort in hard times and a merry Christmas to those who need it most. Baby It’s Cold Outside has been operating in Okotoks for 14 years, working with emergency and homeless shelters in the Foothills, Calgary and southern Alberta. Pamela Morgan, founder of Baby It’s Cold Outside (BCO), said though its reach may extend beyond regional borders, the charity doesn’t forget to serve those close to home. “Rowan House and us, we play in the sand together, and Sheila at the (Okotoks) food bank, we help her out where we can,” said Morgan. “We all kind of work together with multiple charities throughout the Foothills as well, which is really nice and needs to be applauded more.” BCO collects clothing throughout the year, with a large clothing drive taking place in November just ahead of cold winter weather. Collection bins can be found at a number of retailers in the area for the public to drop off gently used items, she said. All of the clothing goes to shelters, to clothe those who need it most. In addition, BCO runs an “essentials drive” once per year, putting together bags of necessities including toiletries and personal hygiene items. Last year the charity put together 509 bags to give to those experiencing homelessness and this year it hopes to have 1,000 essential bags assembled in October, she said. These initiatives rely on community donations, but the biggest event of the year comes at Christmas time and directly serves the Foothills, she said. “We do a Christmas Feast,” said Morgan. “This will be our third year we’ve done it and we’ve teamed up with other charities for this year, which is probably going to triple the number we’re going to be able to feed.” People in the community can nominate individuals or families for the Christmas Feast if they know of someone going through a difficult time, she said. Morgan will personally follow up with the family and let them know someone has nominated them for a Christmas dinner. She plans out the entire dinner with those receiving it, so dietary restrictions are met but more importantly, to make sure traditions are upheld. “What do you do at Christmastime and what makes Christmas special to you, we try to support that,” said Morgan. “And we don’t cook the food, because we think you bring your family together and cooking with your family is always a great thing at Christmas.” Instead of cooking, Morgan and her team of volunteers do all the shopping and then deliver the ingredients for each Christmas dinner to the families on Dec. 23, she said. “It’s a huge event, very emotional for the people receiving as well as the people who are delivering because your heart doubles in size,” said Morgan. Last year BCO served 11 local families – 84 people, of whom 26 were under the age of 12, she said. This year she anticipates serving about 30 families. It doesn’t come cheap, so Morgan is hosting a fundraiser on Sept. 8 to help raise money for the Christmas Feast program. The event runs from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at her home, and attendees will be able to bid on auction items as they enjoy beverages, hors d’oeuvres and a live band. Though some of the money raised does go toward the essential bags, Morgan said it’s important to note that doesn’t mean it’s not being put toward local people in need. “It actually does stay in our community, because we don’t look like we have a homeless population but we do – we have a hidden homeless population,” said Morgan. “If somebody here doesn’t have a place to stay they’re usually transported to a shelter somewhere, and that’s where our essentials bags go.” She said there will be a guest speaker at the fundraising event to speak about what homelessness looks like in a community in Okotoks, and how people who need shelter are provided for. Morgan said the work BCO and other organizations do is thanks to the generous Foothills region. “The incredible onslaught of support throughout businesses, throughout this community,” she said. “I’m overwhelmed. I’m actually overwhelmed by it. We help each other out and we really need to take great pride in doing that. That is one of the most favourable aspects of living in Okotoks.” For more information on Baby It’s Cold Outside, find the organization on Facebook or email Morgan at [email protected].
