North Vancouver’s ‘Santa Hank’ helping those in need, one can at a time

Recycled bottles, cans, containers, cardboard boxes and plastic bags — that’s pretty much all you’ll find in Hank Brennan’s North Vancouver home, which resembles more of a work space than an actual residence.

Bags filled with these recyclables are stacked right up to the ceiling, and it’s quite a stunning scene.

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He and a small group of volunteers that includes two of his own brothers, spend more than 30 hours a week collecting, sorting, counting, and returning recyclables, which they gather from North and West Vancouver homes and apartment buildings and businesses which are then transported to bottle depots across the North Shore.

Hank Brennan and his brother in-front of ‘Santa’s workshop’ in North Vancouver.
(City News Image)

Whatever money he gets from the depots, he gives right back to North Vancouver’s most vulnerable in the form of gift cards to establishments like McDonald’s, Tim Hortons, and grocery stores.

Thoughtful about how he doles out these gift cards, he makes sure to first understand the needs of every individual and decides what will benefit them most.

“It’s mostly focused mostly on the homeless – now I use that term, but it kind of covers a few things,” he told CityNews.

“They’re not all homeless, some of them have places to live but they’re on disability, and most of it is used just to keep a roof over their head. Then they’re the ones I call ‘couch hoppers,’ who are staying with friends until they wear out their welcome…and they’re sharing in on groceries.”

“I sometimes get word of a family or single mother with children who could use a lending hand.”

“When I hear that story, it’s not a Tim Horton’s or McDonald’s card I’m giving them; instead it’s a card for Loblaws or Save on Foods.”

He explains that his project also extends to helping families already supported by local churches, especially around the holidays, as they have a list of families they help with hampers and gifts. He adds to their wishes by supplying gift cards so they can buy a turkey and all the fixings, making Christmas complete for those families.

Outreach initiative going on for 15+ years

Brennan’s initiative, which he coins “Hank’s Christmas Glitter,” took shape in 2006 when he used the same philosophy to help raise money for himself to take a cruise to Alaska.

“I thought, for fun, I’ll start recycling and just save it up,” he recalled. “I let a few family [members] and friends know, and it started to grow. After 23 months I had collected just over $8,000 from selling recycling material! [But] I realized this was a one-time thing, I was never going to do it again. So I’m looking at the money and thought, if I stopped, all this will go to waste … people would be putting them in their blue bins again.”

It was then he came up with the idea of carrying on with the project, but this time using the funds for charitable causes.

“Hank’s Christmas Glitter” was then born, and it has only grown since.

And the concept has evolved many times before it morphed into the successful initiative it’s become today.

“I started to buy gift cards from Tim Hortons [and] distributed them to some homeless people on the street.”

In the beginning, he said he also tried to help those experiencing homelessness on the Downtown Eastside but says it was “just too overwhelming.”

“The alcohol and drug problem being as serious as it is, I realized that these [gift cards] didn’t do anything down there. I’m not even sure they went to good use,” he said.

It was then he chose to stick to serving the local North Vancouver community, where there was plenty of help needed. So much, in fact, he says “it was more than enough for me to handle alone.”

And with it came the festive moniker: “Santa Hank.”

“Some of the homeless guys stuck me with that title because I was bringing down Christmas stockings,” he said. “They always refer to me as Santa Hank.”

A group of people holding up gifts given to them by ‘Santa Hank’.
(City News Image)

‘Santa Hank’ a year-round initiative 

While the name might suggest that Hank’s Christmas Glitter happens only over the Christmas season, it is a year-round operation that involves Santa Hank handing out gift cards to those who need them.

“You tell me what your story is and then we’ll figure out what your needs are, and then I’ll know which gift card to give you. I’ve got a pretty good judge of character and I’ve heard enough to know, and if they talk long enough they will stumble somewhere if their story happens to be untrue, and eventually, I’ll get the real story. But nevertheless, they’ll get a card at the very least.”

He says he carries gift and grocery cards with him at all times with various denominations.

The whole purpose of the initiative, he says, is to provide those in need with a basic human necessity: food.

“I try to stick to the places where alcohol or cigarettes are not sold … the purpose of this whole exercise is to feed people. I’ve never handed out cash.”

He shares that he runs a pretty solid operation throughout the year, and the collection is always growing. “We’re always busy! We recently got three volunteer drivers because I couldn’t handle it all.”

And for how ‘Santa Hank’ is able to this year-round?

“I’m retired, I did good with my life, and that’s the beauty of it. I’m in a position where I can do this and I’m very fortunate to be able to do something I love. Now, I got something to do for the rest of my life.

Surely, Santa Hank is not showing signs of slowing down, and is determined to further grow this operation.

“If I was going to get tired of this, it would have happened a long time ago. I get to go home at night contented with my days achievements and realize just how fortunate I am to have all the essentials of life with a roof over my head and food in the cupboards.”

Last year, he says the initiative hit a record reaching the one million mark in collected bottles and cans for the first time.

However, he says 2022 is shaping up to be another record year, with the project bound to go over a million.