Consignment store collecting donations for Bissel, Boyle agencies
A consignment store is collecting donations for Edmonton's Bissell Centre and Boyle Street Community Services, as both organizations prepare for a drop in funding.
Mod Uncorked Consignment is asking customers and community members to donate laundry detergent, body wash, shampoo and conditioner, coffee and menstrual products.
"I know that just the basic human need of a shower and water and being able to wash your clothes is essential to move up in life," owner and operator Limor Webber said during an interview on Thursday.
She told CTV News Edmonton she was "crushed" to hear that temporary funding the city provided to social agencies during the pandemic, and then topped up last year, will run out at the end of March.
According to a Bissell Centre spokesperson, the funding supported its community space on 96 Street for the last four years, which provided daily services like showers and laundry.
It also introduced users to housing and employment programs, among others.
"So we're losing that connection point for folks and so that journey out of poverty might start looking different for a lot of people," Chris Schieman explained.
Webber said not only is the need for this kind of programming visible throughout the city, but that she has seen the direct impact of it in her store when customers come from either Bissell or Boyle.
"There's something about small businesses, we just really understand what it is to struggle," Webber added, laughing.
"We can't express enough gratitude for Mod Uncorked for providing this to the community," Schieman said.
"We see this all the time. Organizations are always running their own drives – and we do encourage that. If you have the capacity to run your own campaign or your own drive, or do your own collection, do your own work, please, we invite you to do so."
Mod Uncorked already has a pile started in the back after announcing the drive on social media.
"The support has been amazing. Our community here, what we've built at Mod Uncorked, has been amazing. Our customers are incredible.
"So I'm just really hopeful that lots of people come and donate," Webber said.
The store will collect donations until the end of April. Everyone who donates will receive a coupon for 20 per cent off.
In the meantime, Schieman said Bissell is exploring other models for the community space, including a volunteer program.
With file from CTV News Edmonton's Evan Klippenstein and Connor Hogg
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'The world is too messy for bureaucratic hurdles': Canada still bars Afghanistan aid
Ottawa has plans to finally stop blocking Canadian development aid to Afghanistan this year.
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.