Brands for Canada was founded by Joan Clayton and Ina Andre in 1992 in Toronto, Ontario. The two founders had already started Second Harvest, the food recovery program, when they discovered what else people in poverty needed- clothing. This was a necessity, one that has the ability to hinder someone from trying to pull themselves out of poverty. Apparel Textile Sourcing Canada is a proud partner of Brands for Canada and has named them the trade show’s Charity of Choice this year.
Their Mission
BFC bears the powerful mission, “To ensure Canadians living below the poverty line have access to proper clothing and other basic essentials necessary for a dignified and prosperous life.” This alone was a compelling reason for ATSC to partner with an organization that is making an impact across Canada. BFO distributes the new, unused donated items to social service agencies that have been carefully selected by their team, to ensure the most benefit to the recipients. Furthermore, these donations help many local disenfranchised people get back on their feet and empower them. They state,
“They serve a broad scope of Canadians—the homeless, abused women and children, at-risk youth, immigrants and refugees, people with physical or mental disabilities and people enrolled in job training or job search programs.”
Notable Accomplishments
At only four years since the organizations conception, Brands for Canada had distributed over 9,000 pieces of clothing each month. Fifteen years later, the organization had broadened the scope of donations to personal care items and housewares. Since 2011 alone, almost one million items have been donated and distributed to those in need. Ultimately, BFO prides itself on how much impact they can have on the community. Consequently, this has been made possible by maintaining low overhead and by the support of their many partners. For this reason, they were rated as the most cost-effective charity in Canada by MoneySense Magazine in 2010 and 2013.
Apparel Textile Sourcing is a proud partner of Brands for Canada. BFC calls themselves as, “A Canadian Movement- By Canadians, For Canadians,” something that truly embodies the spirit of the country as a whole. We as a community cannot wait to see the impact they have in as the Charity of Choice this year and on their own accord.
Want to learn how you can contribute to the cause? Click here.
