Women in Need Society opens inner city location
The Calgary Women in Need Society (WINS) celebrated a significant milestone Friday, opening several services in the Beltline.
Located at the former headquarters of Trico Homes, the Beltline location houses a WINS Store, donation bay and a WINS Program Centre.
Similar to other WINS locations, the thrift store features gently-used clothing, shoes and home items. An adjacent donation bay will collect and redistribute donations to those in need, while other items will be sold through the thrift enterprises.
The program centre is oriented towards aiding women and their families through services and programming.
“The Beltline is an area of the city that has a diverse population,” said Karen Ramchuk, CEO and president of WINS. “There are a lot of families here, and it’s an area that has been hit hard by the pandemic. You can see behind the scenes, when you go down the alleys here, people are in trouble, so we are very pleased to be here to help and try to make a difference.”
Citing the growing demand for resources such as those offered by WINS, Ramchuk indicated there has been a sharp rise since the onset of the pandemic.
“Calgary has been hit hard from a poverty basis, we have close to 190,000 people now living in poverty in our city. Additionally, the need for support from our resource centres has gone up 25 to 40 per cent from pre-pandemic numbers,” said Ramchuk.
Eighty-four cents from every dollar of revenue is directed towards community services and programs. Ramchuk said this model of retail can provide an avenue of community investment for those looking for a way to contribute.
“It’s a way for people to give back that they might not have thought of before. If people have gently used items they would like to donate, it gives us the ability pass those items along to families in need, or sell them in our store where the revenue is redistributed to fund our programs.”
WINS now has six thrift stores throughout Calgary, in addition to the More Store located in the southeast.
With the onset of fall weather and colder temperatures, WINS officials are expecting a growing demand for winter coats, boots and accessories for both adults and children.
The WINS Beltline location is at 1005 11 Ave. S.W. More information can be found at www.winsyyc.ca.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.