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Volunteers from Regina’s Muslim community distributed 120 winter care packages and 120 meals to people experiencing homelessness outside Carmichael Outreach on Saturday.
“So today, the Muslim community of Regina came together to help the unhoused in our community,” said Abd Al Fatah Alras, who organized the outreach.
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“We made 120 winter packages, and we also made the 120 meals.”
Each winter package included items such as socks, toques, scarves, gloves, toothbrushes, toothpaste and other hygiene products. Meals consisted of a sandwich, an orange and a juice box.
Alras said the outreach is part of an annual initiative that has been running for several years.
“We have been doing this for five years in Saskatoon and for three years in Regina,” he said. “So every year we come together and we do it.”
He said what continues to stand out is the level of community support.
“Every year, I am shocked and surprised by how much people are willing to help,” Alras said.
“How much people are willing to contribute their money and their time to help the vulnerable community in Regina.”
A group of volunteers outside Carmichael Outreach before distributing winter care packages and meals on Jan. 31, 2026. (Jacob Bamhour/CJME)
The initiative began years ago while Alras was studying kinesiology at the University of Saskatchewan. He said the first year came with challenges, but the program has become more organized with time.
“Back then, it was a lot harder being the first time,” he said. “We made all the mistakes and we learned from them.”
Alras emphasized that the work relies on teamwork.
“This is not a one person or one man show,” he said. “It definitely requires a team.”
Planning for this year’s event began in early October. Alras said volunteers worked through budgeting, supply lists and safety considerations for those taking part.
“This is something that requires a lot of planning,” he said. “How to budget, what to get, and how to make sure our volunteers stay safe in the middle of all of this.”
Multiple organizations partnered on the outreach, with volunteers working together to assemble and distribute the packages.
Despite the workload, Alras said he continues to come back to the same conclusion each year.
“Every year I struggle with the same conversation with myself,” he said. “I remember how much work it takes and every year I am very thankful that I end up doing it.”
A volunteer hands a winter care package to a person experiencing homelessness outside Carmichael Outreach as part of a community outreach initiative in Regina on Jan. 31, 2026. (Jacob Bamhour/CJME)
He shared a moment that shaped the initiative, encountering a man trying to stay warm outside Regina General Hospital late one night.
“He did not have a glove, and it was extremely cold that day,” Alras said.
The man told him he had been a truck driver before a crash changed his life.
“He lost his truck, he went into huge debt, and in one day his life flipped upside down,” Alras said.
For Alras, that story underscored the purpose of the outreach.
“We are all one unfortunate event from having our lives flipped upside down,” he said, “and it is our responsibility as a community to come together and help the vulnerable in whatever way you can.”
He said the response from people receiving the packages was overwhelmingly positive.
“Most people are very appreciative,” he said, adding that seeing the impact makes the work worthwhile for volunteers as well.
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