Catholic Vancouver January 15, 2021
Grade 5 student gives 120 sleeping bags to shelter on Christmas Eve
By Agnieszka Ruck
No one can tell Tate Parker he’s too young to help the poor. The Grade 5 student at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Elementary in Vancouver has been running an annual sleeping bag collection for people living on the streets since he was in Kindergarten.
The initiative began in Victoria, B.C., where his family lived at the time. After seeing a homeless camp in his neighbourhood, Tate began to seek out donations of new and used sleeping bags for the poor. He would give $1 from his piggy bank in exchange for each bag, and by Christmas, had more than 120 to give away.
He began collecting sleeping bags annually. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t slow him down. Rather than collect used bags, “Sleeping Bag Tate” wrote to Canadian Tire store owners to ask if they would donate new sleeping bags. Those, along with donations from loyal social media followers, added up to 120 sleeping bags which he personally delivered to the Catholic Charities Men’s Shelter on Christmas Eve.
In all, Tate has collected over 700 sleeping bags in Victoria, Calgary, and Vancouver. He has been profiled several times by CBC and CTV, but parents Angele and Neil say he was “most thrilled” by recognition from the Vatican.
Tate received a letter and a rosary from Msgr. Paolo Borgia on behalf of Pope Francis in 2017 thanks for his service to the homeless.
“His Holiness Pope Francis was pleased to receive your kind letter, and he has asked me to respond on his behalf. He thanks you for sharing with him your mission to care for those who are homeless and in need,” wrote Msgr. Borgia.
“The Holy Father will remember you and your family in his prayers, and he invokes upon you God’s abundant blessings.”