This man says sweaters were stolen from his laundromat. He responded by starting a coat drive

Alex Winch says he didn't call the police whenhe saw, on security footage, someone comeinto his laundromat andstealtwo sweaters from an unsuspecting customer.

Instead, the owner of Beach Solar Laundromat in The Beach neighbourhood says herespondedbysetting up a donation rack outside the store for people to either give or receive warm winter clothing.

"I've had a tremendous response,"said Winch, who estimates 40 to50 coats have passed through the rackin the six days since it's been installed.

The idea came when a patron approached him late on Nov. 16, saying two sweaters were missing from the dryer she had been using. CBC Toronto viewedsecurity camera footage that showed another woman entering the facility, taking the two sweaters from thedryer while the patron wasn't looking, putting them in her bag and immediately leaving.

Winch said when he confronted her outside the laundromat later that night,she responded by saying she was extremely cold, claiming she was also homeless and refusing to return the stolen property.

WATCH| Toronto manstartscoat drive after sweaters were stolen from his laundromat:

Toronto man starts coat drive after sweaters were stolen from his laundromat

10 months ago

Duration 2:42

Alex Winch, owner of Beach Solar Laundromat, set up a coat donation rack outside his laundromat for people experiencing homelessness and poverty after sweaters were stolen from one of his dryers. CBCs Patrick Swadden spoke to Winch about why he decided to turn an act of theft into an act of generosity.

Struckby how the incident underscored the homelessness crisis in Toronto, Winch decided not to report itand instead put a rack outsidethe adjacent dry cleaner he also owns calledMonk'sFine Fabric Care. He says after starting the rack with one of his own coats, it quickly filled up with others for the taking.

"If somebody is cold at 2:00 in the morning, they can get a coat," said Winch."They're not stealing they're receiving a donation."

Many non-profits in Toronto say the demand for coats and other warm winter clothing has spiked in recent years as more and more people turn to charities for assistance.

Across the nation,1 in 5Canadians are currently using charitable services to meet essential needs such as food and shelter, according to Nicole Danesi, senior manager of public relations at CanadaHelps, an online platform for charitable donations and fundraising.

According to the organization,almost a quarter of Canadians will rely on charitable services within the next six months.

"These numbers are staggering and quite concerning," said Danesi.

Charities can't keep up with demand

That means requests for winter clothing often outpace supply offered by local charities like Haven on theQueensway,which provides food, clothing and other resources to people experiencing poverty.

"It's been a little bit of a a struggle to try to keep up with that increased demand," said Aretha Khaloo,Haven on theQueensway'sdirector of operations.

She says they've noticed an influx of refugees and asylum seekers in the store who often donot have the proper winter attire.

"Just in the last month, we went from getting an average of 30 new people into over 130 people coming in asking for warm clothing," said Khaloo.

Other charities like Fred Victor, which operates shelters and transitional housing and provides food programs, are also feeling the pinch.

"It's every single shelter, every single drop-in in the city," says Marie MacCormack, vice-president of philanthropy and communications at Fred Victor, which serves around 3,000 people a day.

Communitydonations essential for charities

MacCormack says very few charities helping people experiencing homelessness and poverty have the capacity to pick up clothing, making donations from community members essential.

"There's nothing left over at the end of the day for us to be buying clothing."

MacCormack adds that Giving Tuesday, an annual global movement that aims to celebrate charitable acts,is a perfect opportunity for people to help those in need. The eventfalls this year on Nov. 28, and she suggests giving to a charity where donations will be matched or doubled by corporations or otherfoundations.

But Winch says there areother ways to giveand is hoping his idea sparks in other neighbourhoods.He says he posted the idea in a Leslieville-based Facebook community group, which immediately received hundreds of likes and comments.

"There are neighbourhoods across the city that are that generous, that are that caring," said Winch.

"This is just a band-aid, but if this same band-aid could be replicated in little storefront alcoves in each neighbourhood across the city that's a bigger band-aid."