They were soaked through to their collective skins, but you had a job wiping the large grins off the faces of the Dinnells and their helpers on Saturday afternoon.
As the “atmospheric river” started to unload onto Richmond just after lunchtime, car after car after car was flowing into the parking lot at Quilchena elementary.
Each vehicle was packed with donations of new and gently used men’s clothes for the temporary homeless shelter at the old Minoru Seniors’ Centre.
The Richmond News reported last week how local realtors Angela and Chris Dinnell decided to host a men’s clothing drive after witnessing a drastic shortage of fresh garments for the majority of the shelter occupants.
Within the first half of the clothing drive opening, the U-Haul the couple had rented was half full.
And by the end of the three-hour event, they had filled the truck twice over.
“We are soaked and cold and overwhelmed with the amount of community today,” Angela told the News.
“We filled the truck up twice as cars just kept coming and coming (all the way to 4pm). The shelter was so happy to get all the donations.”
Dinnell added that they are no longer taking donations as the shelter has more than enough for the time being.
The dearth of available men’s clothing was so dire at the shelter that some of the occupants were wearing women’s apparel.
