Winnipeggers donate piles of winter clothes for the homeless

The mercury is dropping moreevery day and Winnipeg's homeless people are in need of the right clothing to keep them warm through the winter.

Ron Eldridge, an advocate forthe city's homeless population, is doing his partto get as many mitts, toques, boots andcoatsinto the hands of those in need before the snow settles in.

Eldridge, who was homeless for 13 years,set up a clothing drive in Old Market Square Saturday hoping to collectenough warm clothing to dress 900 people.

"The homeless population is getting worse every year," Eldridgesaid. "Every month we get more and more people that are homeless, and most of the homeless people can't afford to go out and buy this stuff and that's why we do this."

Clothing items that didn't get distributed to homeless people Saturday will getdropped off atshelters and to people living on the street, Eldridge said.