You can expect a knock on your door this month as volunteers will be out seeking donations for the Heart and Stroke as part of Heart Month in February.
"We're ultra-traditional in that we still do this public campaign," said organizer George Winingder.
The Heart & Stroke Foundation raises money towards research for heart disease as well as conducts educational campaigns related to the two issues. Every February it organizes Heart Month, during thousands of volunteers canvass the country throughout the month soliciting donations.
Winingder started going door-to-door five years ago. He said it was because he was looking for an organization to work with during retirement.
"However, both of my parents died – my father with a stroke and my mother with complications that arose out of a heart condition, and I have a heart condition myself," he said. "Really, the reason is I was looking for some good to do with my retirement years."
The door-to-door campaign is one of several activities taking place this month. On Feb. 12, Cooper's grocery store will be holding heart day, during which 25 cents will be donated for each bag of groceries sold. They will also be distributing pamphlets with information about heart & stroke disease.
"A study that's been done recently showed that people who are aware of signs of stroke tend to have better outcomes in their treatments than those who aren't because they recognize what's going and seek treatment more readily," said Winingder. "The faster you treat it, the better it is.
"It wouldn't hurt to stop by and pick up the card."
Feb. 11 is Dress Red day, on which businesses are encouraged to have their employees dress in red in order to raise money for the Heart & Stroke Foundation.
The event, which has been held the past eight years, comes close to a year after past organizer Jim Holdener died of a heart attack.
"It's hits pretty close to home for us, for sure," said Steven Hui, Holdener's co-worker at Pharmasave. "We wanted to make sure we kept it going in his memory."
For more information on Heart month visit the Heart & Stroke Foundations website.