Students send messages of hope and kindness through Christmas cards

Students at Seaquam Secondary School in Delta, B.C., put the finishing touches on heartwarming Christmas cards Friday.

The cards will be among thousands handed out at homeless shelters in parts of Canada and the United States over the next few days.

It’s all part of the Christmas Card Collective, founded by Delta woman Erin Schulte, who came up with the idea while operating a soup kitchen in 2017.

“I had this idea to fill out Christmas cards with heartfelt, warm wishes and hand them out to the residents on the street,” Schulte said.

It began with her friends and family members, but now many schools, churches, and sports teams have jumped on board.

Schulte says they took last year off due to the pandemic, but this year they’re back at it.

She estimates they’ll distribute upwards of 4,500 cards.

“It’s picked up really quickly at the end,” she said.

At Surrey’s Urban Mission, where more than 200 people in need lay their heads every night, the cards will be distributed starting Friday night.

"They crawl into bed, and here's this Christmas card from a stranger that they just absolutely love,” said CEO Jack O’Halloran.

"The best way to put it is: Somebody cares. Somebody cares. You can give money, you can volunteer, but something like this is entirely unexpected,” he said.

Schulte hopes it serves as a reminder of the true meaning of the holiday season.

“The homeless don’t get Christmas gifts so I like to do it in the few nights leading up, it gives them something to look forward to,” she said.

"But also, it’s opened the line of communication around dinner tables about homelessness and how not everybody gets things at Christmas time, and that the true meaning of Christmas can’t be bought,” she continued

“Christmas is a feeling in your heart.”