Local clothing brand spreading holiday cheer, handing out food and clothing to Ottawa’s homeless

Eleven Percent Streetwear, in partnership with a local non-profit — Protecting the Rise — are teaming up with Meatings BBQ to provide warm meals and clothing to Ottawa’s homeless population.

The charity event is set to take place in the Byward Market, beside ScotiaBank on Rideau Street, today from 1-3 p.m., said Darwin Campbell, founder of Eleven Percent Streetwear.

“We’re going to bring some donations that we’ve been collecting throughout the year and hand out warm clothes and hot meals for those in need,” said Campbell.

Eleven Percent Streetwear is dedicated to making an impact on the lives of homeless individuals in Canada, wrote the brand on their website.

“With winter temperatures posing serious risks such as hypothermia and frostbite, our mission is to provide life-saving winter gear to those in need,” the company added.

While the Christmas Eve charitable event is running for a third year, Campbell says they host similar events throughout the year, in efforts to support the homeless community.

“What I do through my brand is through every sale, we use 11 per cent of our profits to produce and distribute warm winter gear and make care packages that we hand out periodically throughout the year,” he added.

With 11% of the brand’s profits committed to the production and distribution of survival wear for Canada’s homeless population, the company is calling on the community to contribute to this initiative.

Today, their team is made up of six to seven volunteers, with additional helpers from Protecting the Rise.

Once the event has wrapped up, leftovers are brought to a local shelter, noted Campbell.

“We collect clothing donations from local people that would otherwise go to Value Village and we get those directly to people on the street,” added Eleven Percent Streetwear’s founder.

This year alone, their team has collected around 20-30 garbage bags full of clothing donations.

Their team aims to feed between 200-400 people at every event, and Campbell says that is their hope for today’s Christmas Eve initiative.

Those interested in contributing can visit Eleven Percent Streetwear’s website to donate.

Additionally, the local company has released a new clothing line — in collaboration with Meatings BBQ — that can be purchased on their website.

“100% of the proceeds will be used to make meals which we’ll bring down on Christmas Eve to feed as many people as we can,” Eleven Percent Streetwear wrote in a post on Instagram.