Hundreds of jackets, shoes, collected for northern Ontario First Nation

A group of people in southern Ontario hope children in a northwestern Ontario First Nation will have a warmer winter this year, thanks to their donations of coats and shoes.

Earlier this winter, John Currie, who lives in Pickering but is originally from Dryden, Ont., heard that students in Kasabonika First Nation were in need of winter jackets.

He started an effort to collect 350 jackets in 35 days, and in the end managed to send close to 500 jackets to the remote community.

"Could you imagine a young child going to school without a coat ... and then going home in a warm coat?," he said, adding that he was thrilledto receive notes of thanks from the community.

Now, Currie is working on a second effort to collect shoes for students in Kasabonika.

Hundreds of pairs of shoes

Aiding him are members of The Shoe Project, a group of immigrant women in the Greater Toronto Area, who share their own stories by focusing on the shoes they've owned and worn.

The group has long wanted to do something to give back to Canada's Indigenous people, said member Saima Hussain, so when they heard about the shoe collection for Kasabonika, they were eager to help.

Hussain, who came to Canada from Pakistan about 20 years ago, said her Missisauga home, which is one of several drop off spots for the shoes, is now overflowing.

"My basement floor is covered with bags of shoes," she said, adding that they are focusing on shoes and boots that will be warm enough to withstand winter conditions.

The shoes will be collected until mid-January, said Currie, and will then be transported to Kasabonika.