Arc'teryx, through its Birds Nest Project grassroots initiative, hopes to offset some of the unkindness of winter through the distribution of all-weather capes to the homeless and disadvantaged.

In its third year, the Birds Nest Project is a collection of volunteer Arc'teryx employees who donate their time to sew the capes at the company's Burnaby factory. Originally inspired by the company's Green Committee in search of a way to to re-purpose end-of-roll and discontinued fabrics, the in-house designed cape has seen some small improvements to make it as simple and weatherproof as possible.

All volunteers, the 65-70 strong team, lead by a core of volunteer in-house professional sewers, gathered on three separate Sundays to produce the GORE-TEX® capes. This year's Birds Nest will see over 700 windproof, waterproof capes distributed by project leaders Nancy Fedoruk, Kristi Birnie and Joanne Mayzes at the Harvest Project in North Vancouver and Harbour Lights in Vancouver.

As with any collective effort, the true benefit comes from the time shared and the gift of giving. Arc'teryx encourages other local companies to create and promote other unique green initiatives.