As a Canada Line Attendant, Gregory Ould noticed a trend of people staying on the SkyTrain for extended periods during the winter months — just to stay warm. In 2005, he offered a blanket to someone in need, not realizing that moment would be a critical shift to his life’s focus.

Gregory and his son, Ben, founded Blanket BC Society, an organization based in Mission that collects and distributes blankets to those in need. Over the last 17 years, the Drive the Line campaign has received more than 550,000 blanket donations.

Back after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the 12th annual Drive on the Line takes place on November 18 and 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., along the SkyTrain’s Canada Line. More than 200 volunteers will be across the system collecting donations from the public at nine different SkyTrain stations.

Where to drop off your blanket

• Waterfront Station 
• Yaletown–Roundhouse Station
• Vancouver City Centre Station
• Broadway–City Hall Station
• Oakridge–41st Station
• Marine Drive Station
• Bridgeport Station
• Lansdowne Station
• Richmond–Brighouse Station 

“It feels really good to bring back the event after two years,” says Gregory. “There’s more need this year than ever before. In all the years, I’ve never seen so many emails and phone calls for the need of warmth” he says, “It’s really hard, we want to save lives.”  

The items that are most highly needed are blankets, socks, scarves, mittens, and toques. All donations go to shelter programs and organizations that work directly with those in need in Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley, Vancouver Island, and the Sunshine Coast. Blanket BC has donated over 550,000 blankets to date, including shipping over 20,000 blankets to other countries around the world.

How to get involved

Blanket BC is currently looking for more volunteers to help with the event. To find out more, visit www.blanketbc.org or email info@blanketbc.org.