'I am not lost': Young Canadian girl spends her birthday leaving coats for the homeless

Eight-year-old Jayda Smith-Atkins ties a scarf around a street pole for a homeless person to claim Credit: Facebook/Tara Smith-Atkins

A young girl has celebrated her eighth birthday leaving coats and scarves for homeless people, as winter fast approaches in Canada.

Jayda Smith-Atkins and seven of her friends tied winter coats and scarfs to street poles in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with personal notes attached.

Jayda (third left) and her band of helpers pictured with their arms full of coats and scarves. Credit: Facebook/Tara Smith-Atkins

The eight-year-old's mother Tara Smith-Atkins said she had thought it would be a nice idea to try and help out the local homeless community and also teach the children a "valuable" lesson.

After posting a Facebook appeal asking friends and family to donate their old coats and scarves for the cause, "the bags just started flowing in", she told CBC News.

One of Jayda's friends leaves a coat on a street pole. Credit: Facebook/Tara Smith-Atkins

After spending an hour on the street distributing the clothing, the children had "definitely learned the importance of it", Ms Smith-Atkins said.

Jayda and her friends walk down a street while on their coat and scarf giving mission. Credit: Facebook/Tara Smith-Atkins

"When we got back in the car after an hour on the street they were all freezing and crying for the heater to be on and complaining because they were cold and they were bundled up."

The event was very well-received in the city, with one charitable organisation tweeting "We live in a caring community!".

Jayda's mother later posted pictures of the children on the streets leaving the clothing on Facebook and wrote that her daughter had "received one of the most valuable lessons she ever could for her eighth birthday".

“We are very blessed to be able to have given her that", she added.