Engage and Change is a grassroots charity in the GTA dedicated to supporting people who are underhoused and living in extreme conditions. Every January, we distribute 3,500 complete Project Winter Survival kits through more than 150 shelters, community programs, and street outreach teams across the region.

Each kit includes a new sleeping bag and a backpack filled with winter essentials like gloves, socks, hand and toe warmers, a toque, scarf, hygiene items, and a refillable water bottle. Outreach workers often tell us these kits are a lifeline. They help them approach vulnerable individuals, start a conversation, and connect people to shelter programs or services that can change their situation.

We have no paid staff and rely on volunteers, donated products, and support from our corporate partners. Funds raised cover the costs of sleeping bags, backpacks, essential items we cannot source through donations, and minimal administrative needs like insurance and audited financials. A complete kit costs us about $75 to produce, even though the market value is more than $175.

Every donation directly helps someone survive dangerous winter conditions.

Nobody chooses to be homeless. Nobody deserves to die on our streets. Thank you for supporting this movement of caring.