'Give a suit, change a life': Calgary Police Service revive local suit drive

The Calgary Police Service needs help to find suits. A lot of suits. Not any colour or brand in particular, but those that have sat in a closet for far too long collecting dust.

It needs those suits for its annual suit drive in support of the Calgary Centre for Newcomers.

"What we're looking for is going to be business clothing," said Det. Hal Quaidoo. "Men's suits, dress shirts, dress pants, shoes, ties, any accessories, belts even."

Quaidoo and his former partner Derek Thistle came up with the idea in 2018 after responding to a 'call for service' where they found a man down on his luck sitting by the side of the road with all his belongings in a backpack.

Thistle asked the man if he was looking for a job.

"And this individual told him, 'Well look at me, who's going to hire me? I don't have anything, my clothes are in a backpack on the side of the road here, and no one wants to see me', and that just sparked this campaign that we're running."

That first year they had a goal of 100 suits but ended up collecting more than 4,000 pieces of men's clothing items and accessories. And the vulnerable population they assist has expanded to the Centre for Newcomers.

"This is the same situation that new immigrants also face when they come to Calgary," said Quaidoo. "When they have to flee, they're only fleeing with a suitcase, with a backpack, with only their possessions they can carry.

"Our focus," he added, "is how can we help the community? How can we help make them stronger?

"This is why we became police officers," he added, "is wanting to support the community."

Pandemic pause

After a pandemic pause, the suit drive is back on with a goal of helping as many people as possible. Nahid Keramati is the centre's director of vulnerable population services and says the clothing is mainly for clients enrolled in its carrier and employment services program.

But the centre extends an invitation out to the greater community.

"It absolutely helps their dignity," Keramati said. "It could be pretty pricey to buy what you want to put on for an interview and look your true self and look good.

"But this helps them," she added,  "just to be able to show up to the interview, feel professional, feel that they have done what they need to do to be ready."

Shopping experience

After the collection process, volunteers set up the clothing to make it feel like a shopping experience.

"Staff, with the help of a bunch of volunteers go through the suits, and organize them by size," said Keramati. "We order a lot of racks and hangers, we book basically half of CFNs public area, we have rooms for people to come try them on and pick and choose between what they want and just take it."

Mickehel Meize is a new Canadian from Jamaica and is looking for some proper business attire.

"Oftentimes as expats we come to foreign countries and we don't have these basic needs like a suit to go out and take on this world," he said. "Once I'm in a suit, it gives me a sense of purpose, it also lets me feel very liberated like I'm a gentleman going out in the real world."

The 27-year-old is looking for a job in humanitarian services so he can help others that are in a similar situation to what he's in now. He says a suit will help him feel confident in a job interview and a sense of pride and he can't wait for the opportunity.

"Excited is an understatement, I am over the moon," he said. "What the police and Center for Newcomers are doing, it's a great opportunity for persons like me.

"At the Center for Newcomers," he added, "they're not only a family to us, they also guide us in a way that we are ready to take on the real life of a Canadian and to contribute in a positive way."

The collection process started at the end of May and runs through June 24 where people can donate suits and other business clothing items to the centre or any district police station, including police headquarters in the northeast.