Shoppers will be able to find deals and help some great causes at this weekend’s first New West/Burnaby Thrift Store Crawl.
Isabel Barros, administrative coordinator at BASES Family Thrift Store, has spearheaded a thrift store crawl that runs from Friday, July 13 to Sunday, July 15.
“The whole plan for the crawl is twofold. It’s obviously to promote the stores and build clientele, but my other point in doing this is just to inform the community of the causes that we all support,” she said. “Most people when they donate probably think part of it is a profit.”
That’s not the case with the five thrift stores participating in this weekend’s event, as they’re raising funds for a variety of programs in New West and Burnaby.
“As passionate as I am about BASES, everyone is as passionate about their cause. In speaking to everyone and how they support, I just want to elevate everyone’s profile,” Barros said. “Maybe when people think of donating items or shopping at a thrift store, they might consider us before the bigger guy.”
Participants in this weekend’s thrift store crawl include:
* Burnaby Hospice Society Thrift Store – 6843 Kingsway, Burnaby. This non-profit society provides services to individuals and families going through the end-of-life journey.
* Kerry’s Thrift Boutique – 480 East Columbia St., New Westminster. This charity thrift shop helps the Camp Kerry Society provide support to individuals and families from across B.C. who are impacted by serious illness, grief and loss.
* New To You – 416 East Columbia St., New Westminster. Operated by volunteers with the Royal Columbian Hospital Auxiliary, New to You raises funds to buy hospital equipment that’s not included in Fraser Health’s budget.
* St. Barnabas Thrift Store – 1010 Fifth Ave., New Westminster. This shop raises funds for a variety of the church’s community outreach programs, including a community lunch every Thursday, a Christmas dinner and kids summer camps.
* BASES Family Thrift Store – 7825 Edmonds St., Burnaby. It raises money for programs that help children, youth and families, such as breakfast programs, homework clubs, sports, cultural programs and community kitchens.
BASES opened in Burnaby in 2013 and is looking to expand its reach to New Westminster.
“We support in southeast Burnaby the five elementary schools and the high school. Last year we raised $84,000 which was awesome. We don’t make any money, the directors don’t get paid. All of it went to schools,” Barros said. “Because we have done well, we are in the process of talking with the New West school board to see what schools are most in need. We are looking at supporting a couple schools there.”
While BASES is leading the initiative, Barros said the idea is to highlight some of the causes supported by the five participating thrift stores. She said a number of other non-profit thrift stores didn’t want to participate in the thrift store crawl for various reasons.
Along with providing a place where people can find deals on household and clothing items, the shops also welcome donations that allow them to continue raising funds to support various community needs.
“Every one of these organizations is not only contributing to their community, but to the deeper needs of the community,” Barros said. “That to me is important for your neighbours to know so it’s supported.”
