Empowering Change Through Giving A Hand Up To Our Neighbours.
Thank You So Much!
THANK YOU for being part of our Good Neighbour Campaign with the 2026 Tim Horton’s Okotoks Smile Cookie Week!
Together we sold over 10, 718 cookies!!!
Funds raised will support Baby It’s Cold Outside’s initiatives to help those who need a hand-up in Okotoks, High River, and surrounding areas all year long.
Your smiles will create huge impact in our communities!
Become a Board Member With Us!
Thank you for your interest in serving on the Baby It’s Cold Outside (BCO) Board of Directors.
At Baby It’s Cold Outside, we are passionate about supporting our communities by offering a hand up, not a handout. We believe in dignity, compassion, connection, and creating meaningful impact for individuals and families facing challenges.
Your interest in serving on our Board reflects a commitment to helping strengthen our mission and shape the future of our organization.
How We Help
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How We Help *
Christmas Feast
Made possible through fundraising events held in the fall (and throughout the year), generous support from community partners, and heartfelt “anonymous angel” donations from individuals wanting to spread holiday cheer, the Christmas Feast program provides complete holiday dinners and gifts to families across the Foothills who could use a hand-up during the Christmas season.
Recipients are either self-nominated or nominated by members of the community who recognize a need. Donations are collected from caring community members, businesses, and organizations who want to help make the season brighter for local families, seniors, and individuals.
Each recipient is personally contacted so we can create a Christmas meal tailored to their traditions, dietary needs, and family size. Small gifts from Santa are also included to help make the season feel magical for children and loved ones.
In the days leading up to Christmas Eve, volunteers deliver all the ingredients and fixings for a festive holiday feast directly to each family. More than just a meal, the Christmas Feast is about creating warmth, dignity, connection, and the feeling of being cared for by a community that comes together to support one another.
Every hamper delivered is a reminder that no one should feel alone during the holiday season, and everyone has a seat at the table.
Applications/Nominations are CLOSED for 2025.
Questions or inquiries for volunteering can be sent to admin@babyitscoldoutsidecharity.com
Mental Health Support
Mental health has always been an important part of Baby It’s Cold Outside’s mission, but during the COVID-19 pandemic, we saw firsthand how urgently additional support was needed across rural Alberta.
Through a partnership with Wellness Innovate and funding from the Government of Alberta, we were grateful to help deliver the Headstrong Program, a collaborative mental health initiative designed to support rural Albertans, entrepreneurs, and small businesses during an incredibly challenging time.
Together, the program reached an estimated 1,000–1,200 individuals and more than 200 small and medium-sized businesses throughout the MD of Foothills and surrounding communities.
While the Headstrong Program is no longer funded, the need for accessible mental health support has not gone away. In many ways, it has only grown.
At Baby It’s Cold Outside, we remain committed to supporting mental wellness, reducing stigma, and helping connect people with care, community, and hope.
We believe no one should have to struggle alone, and we will continue looking for meaningful ways to support the mental health needs of our rural communities in the future. If you are struggling, please reach out.
Connection and support can make all the difference.
Helping the UnHoused
Homelessness and housing insecurity are growing realities across Canada, including right here in Okotoks, High River, Diamond Valley, and surrounding Foothills communities.
Research from the Homeless Hub identifies several forms of homelessness, including chronic homelessness, episodic homelessness, and transitional homelessness, each reflecting different challenges people face while trying to access safety, stability, and support.
Homelessness impacts not only individuals and families, but entire communities. It is estimated to cost the Canadian economy more than $7 billion annually, and that number does not fully account for the incredible work done by smaller community organizations and shelters supporting people fleeing domestic violence, family crisis, or unsafe living situations.
In smaller communities like Okotoks, High River, Diamond Valley, and surrounding rural areas, homelessness can often look different than what many people imagine. It may mean someone sleeping in their car, spending long hours in public spaces such as libraries or coffee shops to stay warm, living in overcrowded homes, staying temporarily on a friend’s couch, or quietly struggling to maintain housing while working or caring for family.
This is no longer only a “big city” issue. Encampments and tent communities have also appeared in smaller Alberta communities, including High River, highlighting the growing need for compassionate conversations, community support, and long-term solutions.
We believe it is important for communities and local governments to have brave, honest conversations about what is truly happening around us. Behind every statistic is a human being deserving of dignity, safety, connection, and care.
Good Neighbours
At Baby It’s Cold Outside, we support people in our community through some of life’s hardest moments, not just during the winter season, but every single day of the year.
Whether someone is facing illness, grief, housing challenges, mental health struggles, or an unexpected crisis, we step in where we can to offer practical support, compassion, and hope.
That support may look like helping a cancer patient access what they need to heal, assisting a family after a house fire, supporting someone through a difficult season of mental health, or quietly helping a neighbour who is struggling behind closed doors.
We also work closely with other local agencies and organizations who often reach out when someone needs additional support. By working together, we help ensure that no one in our community falls through the cracks.
Because we live in a small community, protecting people’s privacy and dignity is deeply important to us. Many of these stories are never shared publicly, but this work is happening every day, all year long.
We believe the strongest and healthiest communities are built by good neighbours. Following a national disaster, emergency crews were asked which communities recovered best. Their answer was simple: “The ones where neighbours knew each other.”
That spirit of connection, kindness, and community care is at the heart of everything we do.
We encourage everyone to check in on their neighbours, volunteer in the community, and look for small ways to make the world a kinder place.
You can also get involved through our Good Neighbour Campaigns during Smile Cookie Week with Tim Hortons Okotoks and other community initiatives throughout the year.
Make a donation.
Help us, help others today.
Our Why
My dream-wish-desire-longing is that not one soul would ever be without food and shelter, but until that day arrives I will continue my crusade to clothe and aid as many people in need as possible, and I hope that you will find yourself inspired to join us at Baby It’s Cold Outside in this endeavor to make a positive difference as a community by bringing a little bit more warmth to the cold streets. I know that together we can and do make a difference!
Baby It’s Cold Outside started from a very tragic story but continues today because there is a world of people who are about others.
~ Pamela Morgan, Founder
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