The Tote Bag Competition is back this year!

The Tote Bag Competition is a month-long contest where individuals, groups and organizations compete to create the best donation package of essential items for the homeless. As they select the contents of their package, we want participants to reflect on the common challenges faced by the homeless community and ponder what donations would be most effective for addressing them. Ultimately, it will help to raise awareness about homelessness through an engaging community event. After submissions are judged, the winner will be announced at our Tote Bag Competition event in February 2023, where we will hand out a prize for the highest-scoring entry.

Last year, the 2021-2022 Tote Bag Competition gathered dozens of submissions from groups across Ontario. Ultimately, Laurier’s Homeless Care Initiative (LHCI) won the top prize for their comprehensive care package which best addressed the challenges of the harsh winter weather. 

We've decided to make some key changes to this year's edition. For example, the care package now must contain at least 5 items and there is no item count limit. Also, instead of just video, participants can now write or type their descriptions for submission. It is super easy to participate in this year's competition! Submissions are sent in as a short video at most 60 seconds long. You can make a care package bag out of common household items (clothing, hygiene products and blankets) and compile a submission video in as little as 15 minutes. Read our competition outline for formal guidelines and submission deadlines.

Interested in participating? Register via Google Form here.

We hope to build on the success of our first competition to see more participants and more creative care package ideas this coming February! We look forward to seeing your awesome tote bags!

This page was originally published on December 7th, 2022. It was updated on January 18th, 2023.