Written by SCOTT STANFIELD
Citizen staff
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Wednesday, 03 December 2008 |
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Operating from the back of the Sally Ann thrift store at Parkhill Centre, the program collects clothing from about 20 thrift stores and non-profit groups in Prince George and surrounding communities, then sells the items by bulk to a Vancouver merchant.
"All these organizations, and ourselves included, had a common problem," said Dave Inwood, manager of the Parkhill store and who initiated the program.
"We were generating items that we could not sell in our stores or give away because they were defective or in a state of disrepair. But because each of us had relatively small amounts, it was prohibitively expensive to send it down to Vancouver, where you could sell it, because the freight costs would just kill you."
Once enough items are collected to fill a 53-foot trailer, the clothing is shipped to a rag merchant in Vancouver, who pays 10 cents a pound. The merchant, in turn, either shreds the items into material for more clothing, sells them as rags to gas stations and other businesses, or donates the clothing to overseas charities.
The profits, after deducting freight costs, are divided among the organizations, as according to the quantity contributed by each outfit.
Inwood figures the program has so gar grossed about $90,000. Profits support a variety of programs offered by each organization.
"And it's a tremendous green program," Inwood said. "We're now approaching a million pounds that we've sent to Vancouver that otherwise would have ended up in the Prince George dump. It just seems to work on every level. It's a positive program for everybody."
The Salvation Army also operates a curbside clothing pickup service that reaches 400 households in a week. After dropping a garbage bag in each mailbox, volunteers return two days later to collect filled bags.
"If people want to donate food, then we ask them to leave it in a box beside the bag," Inwood said.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 03 December 2008 )
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very fishy