Surrey, BC – Value Village enjoyed great success at the Grand Opening of their new Surrey store on King George Highway on February 19th. Hundreds of people waited patiently outside the immaculately organized warehouse as speeches were given and ribbon was cut by a Little Brother involved in Big Brothers’ programs.
Big Brothers enjoys a profitable partnership with Value Village by supplying product collected by Big Brothers Clothing Donation. Value Village pays Big Brothers for the clothing, the revenue from which funds mentoring programs for children.
“Unlike many other non-profit organizations, Big Brothers raises 90 per cent of our own operating costs,” explains Valerie Lambert, Executive Director for Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver (BBGV). “Because of this, we rely heavily on initiatives like Big Brothers Clothing Donation and our partnership with Value Village.”
This partnership was created in 1995 and Big Brothers Clothing Donation has quadrupled the amount of clothing collected and directed to Value Village. Through various cooperative initiatives, Value Village has also grown and seen numerous improvements in quality and successful collection.
“We try to ensure that we only collect items that are not soiled or torn so that we can provide quality recycled clothing to those in need in our community,” notes Slav Gudelj, Operations Manager for Big Brothers Clothing Donation. “The funds generated from selling these clothes to Value Village largely contribute to our ability to fund, facilitate and carry out activities and programs beneficial to children and our community as a whole.”
Big Brothers Clothing Donation and Value Village’s partnership also contributes to a greener planet and heightens environmental awareness. Clothing recycling ultimately helps to reduce energy and raw material consumption, keeps materials out of the landfills and conserves natural resources.
For more information about donating clothes and helping children, visit www.BIGclothingdonation.com.
