Backpacks – Barrie Out of the Cold

missions 3D threshold worked with The Meeting House, *Barrie House Church to purchase and assemble 30 filled backpacks for the Barrie Out Of The Cold (BOOTC) 2016 winter season. The original goal was to secure backpacks and fill them with personal items, clothes, hygiene products and some Christmas candy with projected cost each $75 to $100.

As part of the Compassion aspect of The Meeting House outreach, the Barrie House Church was going to prepare 3 backpacks for the BOOTC 2016 winter season. Partnering with missions 3D threshold and an anonymous donor expanded the vision to 30 filled packs donated to the Barrie BOOTC program. The Barrie House church had lots of fun researching, organizing, purchasing, and filling the backpacks. Appreciation to Bentley’s Luggage in the Georgian Mall, Barrie for providing 30 Backpacks at an excellent price. Because of Bentley’s help each complete pack budget was kept at $80.00 per unit.

missions 3D threshold and The Meeting House, Barrie House Church are planning again to partner in this compassion outreach for 2017. If you would like to help with a donation for the BOOTC Backpack program see the donate button below.

BOOTC History

The Out of the Cold program originated in Toronto in response to the 1986 death of a homeless man. Sister Susan Moran, Father John Murphy, and Rev. Canon John Erb, with the help of St. Michael’s High School, made arrangements to provide for a location, food and volunteers for the homeless. A small storefront on St. Clair Ave. was opened on January 15, 1987. From this humble beginning the Out of the Cold program spread throughout Toronto and into many other cities across Canada.

In January 1998 St. Andrew’s Church in Barrie, Ontario, responded to the same needs Toronto saw in 1986 and was the first Barrie church to open its doors to BOOTC. Two other churches, Collier St. United and Central United, joined the program shortly after, in November 1998. Hi-Way Pentecostal became a member church in 2000 followed by St. Mary’s in 2001. In 2006, Hi-Way Pentecostal was unable to continue with the program and Bethel Community Church then stepped in that year to provide shelter on Tuesday nights. Since 2001 BOOTC has been able to provide shelter seven days a week during the coldest months of the year.

For the year 2015-2016 there were 5,494 guests given a warm bed over a cold winter night in Barrie, Ontario.

Barrie Out of the Cold, www.barrieoutofthecold.org

The Meeting House, www.themeetinghouse.com

*TMH Barrie House Church is under the auspices of the Newmarket regional site of The Meeting House.