TORONTO, Oct. 7 /CNW/ - More than a dozen hotels in the Greater Toronto Hotel Association (GTHA) have joined together to collect surplus bedding and other supplies to assist in the ongoing relief effort for hurricane victims in the Caribbean. Thousands of blankets, sheets and other linens are being gathered and delivered to the City of Toronto for shipment to the devastated islands. "The hurricanes may have passed, but the hardship has not," said GTHA President Rod Seiling. "Many people in places like Grenada and Jamaica are still in temporary shelters, and we hope our contribution will help supply some of the basic provisions they need." Toronto area hotels have compiled more than 2,000 sheets, 500 blankets, 1,000 pillowcases, 100 bedspreads, 50 pillows, 50 duvets, 30 mattress pads and 500 towels. Clothing and canned food have also been donated by hotel employees to help hurricane victims. The relief supplies are being organized through the GTHA's 'Community Room Service' program, which coordinates the delivery of surplus food and supplies from hotels to charitable organizations. "Hotels have a long-standing tradition of donating spare bedding to assist the needy here in Toronto, and Community Room Service has been very successful in coordinating those contributions. When hoteliers and their employees saw what was happening in the wake of the hurricanes, we knew we could apply that same system to help out internationally," Seiling said. The Greater Toronto Hotel Association is the voice of Toronto's hotel industry, representing 145 hotels with approximately 34,000 guest rooms and more than 32,000 full time jobs. Founded in 1925, the GTHA enables competing hotels to work together on issues of public policy and charitable ventures, provides information and service to its members, and advocates to raise their profile and prosperity as a vital component of Toronto's tourism industry. SOURCE: NEWSWIRE.CA