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
BREAKING Poilievre kicked out of Commons after calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'wacko'
Testy exchanges between the prime minister and his chief opponent ended with the Opposition leader and one of his MPs being ejected from the House of Commons on Tuesday -- and the rest of Conservative caucus walking out of the chamber in protest.
Baby, grandparents among 4 people killed in wrong-way police chase on Ontario's Hwy. 401
A police chase which started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville Monday night ended in tragedy some 20 minutes later when a suspect fleeing police entered Highway 401 in the wrong direction and caused a pileup which killed an infant and the child's grandparents, as well as the suspect, investigators say.
Man dies after suffering cardiac arrest while waiting in ER, widow wants investigation
When an ambulance took David Lippert to the hospital in March of 2023, the 68-year-old Kitchener, Ont., executive was hoping to find out why he was feeling weak and unable to walk. Some 24 hours later, he was found unresponsive in the ER.
Sword-wielding man attacks passersby in London, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring 4 others
A man wielding a sword attacked members of the public and police officers in a northeast London suburb Tuesday, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring four other people, British authorities said.
Conservatives push motion calling for Carney to testify, say it's about 'accountability'
The federal Conservatives made good on their promise to push for former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney to testify before MPs, resulting in a heated political debate in Ottawa on Tuesday.
Freeland previews omnibus budget bill, proposed capital gains tax change left out
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will be tabling yet another omnibus bill to pass a sweeping range of measures promised in her April 16 federal budget, though left out of the legislation will be the government's proposed capital gains tax change.
WATCH Arnold Schwarzenegger spotted filming in Elora, Ont.
The name of the project has not been officially released although it’s widely believed to be the Netflix series FUBAR.
London Drugs stores remain closed, 'cybersecurity incident' may have breached personal data
London Drugs says it is working with third-party security experts as the company tries to reopen dozens of stores across Western Canada that were shuttered by a cybersecurity incident Sunday.
McGill requests 'police assistance' over pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University says it has 'requested police assistance' about the pro-Palestinian encampment on its lower field.