Seeking HUGS for the Homeless

Mental Health Estrie (MHE) has officially kicked off its HUGS for the Homeless Campaign for the 2019-2020 winter season.
HUGS (Hats, underwear, gloves, socks and scarves) and other items are collected and distributed among three local resources that support the homeless population of Sherbrooke: Accueil Poirier, the Maison Wilfred Grégoire, and the Maison Marie-Jeanne. In 2007, the board of directors at MHE decided that instead of exchanging gifts for Christmas, they would donate socks to the Accueil Poirier.“When the community heard about it,” explained MHE Executive Director Tanya Gibson, so many people wanted to hop on board that it turned into a full campaign. “We like to highlight that we are looking for new clothing and what represents HUGS, hats, underwear, gloves, socks and scarves,” expressed Gibson, “We also emphasize items for men. Seventy per cent of the clientele receiving these items are men and we always receive more than enough items for women,” she said. See full story in the Thursday, Nov. 21 edition of The Record.