Brillante
F O U N D A T I O N
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"Warmth and Comfort Should be a Norm,
Not a Privilege."
What You Gave
We are a small team of volunteers who raise money to create Winter "Warm-Up" Packages for the homeless population of Metro Vancouver.
Our Story... So Far
The Brillante Foundation began as an idea in the year 2010 by founder, Martin Brillante, at the age of eighteen. Coming from Argentina, a third world country, Martin was plenty exposed to homelessness. Although never homeless himself, he never took his privileges for granted.
Seeing the homeless of the Downtown East side of Vancouver, whatever their story, motivated Martin to reach out in some way to the homeless population of Metro Vancouver. Although the idea was there, the drive and motivation always seemed to be put at the bottom of the priority list. It wasn’t until one day, while working in a building on Hastings Street in Vancouver, that Martin realized just how serious the shelter situation could be, and thus the project was put in motion and an idea started developing into a reality. With the help of Nicole Seebauer, Brendan Delair, and Chad Porter, the Brillante Foundation became a legitimate government registered Non-Profit Foundation on May 5th, 2016.
Starting from its hometown, The Brillante Foundation provides warmth to the homeless population of Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, with goals to reach and provide our Winter Warm-Up Packages all the way into the Downtown East side of Vancouver.
Their Story
One question that often goes unanswered is, “Why do the homeless not seek shelter if it is available to them?” Some shelters provided are not equipped with all the comforts and necessities a person requires. Drug paraphernalia, bed bugs, cockroaches, and the lack of privacy and integrity are some of the downsides to these shelters. Although they do provide a roof over their head, some people prefer the streets due to privacy and customs.
Special thanks to Blanket BC for supplying all the blankets contained in our Warm-Up packages. Thanks to their kind act, we will be able to supply warmth to a greater amount of the less fortunate.
