A pair of work boots, a January bus pass, some socks.

These are some of the no-frills items Calgary's homeless have asked for in a new charitable project that seeks to provide the less fortunate with personalized Christmas presents.

Dan and Jenny Keeran collected more than 2,000 gifts to distribute to Vancouver's homeless last Christmas.
(CBC)

"It's person to person, and showing caring in that way is what this is about," said Dan Keeran who, with his wife Jenny and members of the Church of Christ, has set up a website that tells the personal stories and offers Christmas wish lists for 300 of the city's homeless.

The Keerans launched a similar program in Vancouver last year and were happily surprised by the overwhelming response. The program received 2,000 gifts to give out to the 90 people who had registered with the program. The Keerans used the surplus gifts to make Christmas cheerier for others in need.

"When we communicate value to a homeless person, we believe they value themselves more," Keeran said. "And so they have the strength and the courage and the confidence to go forward in their lives."

Donations are being accepted at the Calgary Drop-In Centre and Salvation Army Centre of Hope until Christmas.

Becky Cole, who is hoping for a backpack, said people truly treasure what they receive.

Homeless millwright Roy Banack agreed, saying he particularly appreciates the Keerans's concept of personalized presents for the homeless.

"To actually ask for something and receive it would be spectacular," he said. "What you want and what you get in life aren't always the same thing."