Home Depot kicks off ‘Orange Doors” campaign for homeless youth

The Home Depot store in Sherbrooke has kicked off its annual ‘Orange Door’ fundraising campaign for La Maison Jeunes-est, the youth centre in Fleurimont.

Until June 24, customers can purchase an orange paper door at the Home Depot store for $2 to help support the Maison Jeunesse-est in its efforts to help homeless youth or those at risk of homelessness across Canada. Donations will help La Maison Jeunes-est provide support to homeless youth aged 18 to 30.

"Every night, in neighbourhoods across the country, more than 6,000 young people have no safe place to sleep,” said Jeff Kinnaird Chair of Home Depot Canada and the Home Depot Canada Foundation. ”That's why all donations collected from customers will be directly invested in helping young people affected by this serious problem. With the support of our communities, we can help vulnerable homeless people build a better future, one orange paper door at a time.”

Research shows that the longer a young person lives on the street, the worse their health and well-being deteriorate and the more likely they are to be exploited, to experience trauma, to become addicted, to drop out of school, and to become chronically homeless. Through the Orange Door Project, the Home Depot Canada Foundation is supporting 120 organizations in their mission to help prevent and put an end to youth homelessness in Canada. Interested customers can also donate online at www.homedepot.ca/foundation.

Last year, The Home Depot Canada Foundation supported more than 260 organizations and the company has raised more than $8.6 million to do so since 2007. Homeless youth aged 13 to 24 represent about 20 per cent of the homeless population in Canada.