She's giving hundreds of Christmas cards to homeless people with the help of school kids, seniors

Erin Schulte says her grandchildrendidn't know the true meaning of Christmas.

Like many young people, they made lists of the toys and other things they wanted and that got Schulte thinking.

"It was just really disheartening basically you're just asking for things that you want," she told The Early Edition host Rick Cluff. "In my own household, Iwanted to bring back the true meaning of Christmas, which is charity and giving back and spreading joy and love to your neighbours."

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Schulte is a homeless advocate and runs a pop-up soup kitchen on 135AStreet in Surrey also known asthe Surrey Strip.

That neighbourhood is where dozens of homeless people live in tents or under tarps. Many people suffer from addictions, and overdoses are a fact of life and death.

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Homeless, not worthless

Schulte wanted to give the people there something to smile about at Christmas time, so she is handingoutcards shemade with her grandchildrenor has receivedfrom elementary schools andseniors' homes.

"Dear friend, I am thinking of you. I care about you," she read from one card, written by a boy in Grade 2 who also drew pictures of a Christmas tree and other festive trappings.

"We wish you every good thing for this coming year: strength inside when you need it and kindness from others when your spirit is down," she read from another, choking up. "I had to stop reading them after a while because some of them are just lovely."

She believes she will give out close to 700 cardsthis season about 225to people living in tents on 135 A Streetand the rest to tent camps, recovery homes and emergencysheltersaround Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

"To know them is to love them. They're simply homeless, they're not worthless. They're people that I love dearly," Schulte said.

"I just wanted them to be reminded and have something that they could holdontoto be aware that people werethinking about them at this time of year."

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With files from CBC Radio One's The Early Edition