Clothing Programs
Current Program — Crisis Clothing Delivery
Our Crisis Clothing Delivery Program runs year-round, but when winter hits Alberta, we go into overdrive. If anyone doubts the severity of the clothing crisis, they’ve likely never sat in a downtown emergency room during a cold snap. Each winter, thousands of vulnerable people arrive at hospitals with cold-related injuries — frostbite, hypothermia, and in severe cases, amputations. Last winter, Edmonton recorded over 100 frostbite-related amputations, the highest number in more than a decade.
Cold-weather injuries don’t just harm individuals; they place a heavy burden on first responders, hospitals, and the entire social-support system. A donated winter jacket is often far cheaper — and far more humane — than an emergency amputation. Sometimes, it is quite literally the difference between surviving the night and not.
And that’s why our approach is simple, mobile, and designed to fill the gaps that stationary services can’t.
How the Program Works
Stage 1 — Gather Donations
We reach out to our long list of supporters — individuals and corporations — who provide both new winter gear and gently used clothing. Over time, this generosity has added up to thousands of pounds of clothing that we’ve processed and delivered.
Stage 2 — Pickup Teams
Volunteers head out across the city to collect donations. They’re fast, friendly, and surprisingly strong after hauling winter coats for months at a time.
Stage 3 — Sorting & Processing
At our sorting facility, generously provided by AATC, we check for cleanliness, sort items by type and size, store warm-weather clothing for later seasons, and divert items we can’t use to other charities like Diabetes Canada and The Rock Inner City Society. Nothing goes to waste.
Stage 4 — Mobile Delivery
We load our mobile care units and distribute clothing directly to people who are visibly freezing or severely underdressed. Some items are dropped off at partner soup kitchens; the rest go straight into the hands of those living outside. A full vehicle of clothing usually disappears in under 15 minutes — if you don’t believe it, try joining a run.
This program works because many of the people we serve can’t access traditional clothing support: mobility issues, disabilities, fear of shelters, or simply being far from service centres. Even with dozens of clothing organizations across the province, demand still massively exceeds capacity. We’re bridging that gap in the most direct way possible.
Future Program — Free Mobile Thrift Store
Building on our current success, we’re developing a mobile thrift store where everything is free — more space, more clothing, larger vehicles, and a wider reach. This unit will serve Edmonton’s streets during extreme weather and can be dispatched to wildfire zones or disaster areas as needed. If someone’s home burns down we want to be the first there to offer support and replacement clothes. Also we want to have the ability to go out to remote reserves that don’t have free clothing resources.
Our plan:
Budget & Funding — Already underway with our accountant and consultant.
Warehouse Expansion — A larger space is required to handle increased donations.
Truck, Permits & Licensing — Once secured, we’re ready to launch.
We already have steady enough clothing supply lines to get started. We also have more than enough volunteers to run the expanded program. Our goal is to have the very first mobile thrift store unit operational by the end of 2026.
Why This Work Matters
Edmonton regularly experiences -20,-30,-40 weather during the winter — When health challenges, disabilities, and transportation barriers make it nearly impossible for vulnerable individuals to reach traditional services, mobile programs become not just helpful, but essential. We believe the future of crisis intervention must be mobile in order to meet the growing needs of Canadians!
We’re committed to ensuring that no one faces extreme weather without the basics of warm, clean clothing. We’ve already moved enough truck loads of clothing in the last year to keep a small village warm— and we’re just getting started!
How You Can Help
Donate
Your contributions keep our mobile units stocked and moving. Every coat, every dollar, every pair of gloves gets us one step closer to preventing another cold-weather Crisis.
If you’ve got old winter gear sitting in a closet collecting dust, this is your sign. Contact us below.
Volunteer
Don’t have any items or cash to donate? No problem, come volunteer! Sorting, driving, distributing — there’s a role for everyone. No prior experience required to get started; just a warm heart (and ideally warm socks). Contact us below.
Act Now
Winter doesn’t wait, and neither can we. Every day we act, someone stays warm who otherwise wouldn’t.
Join us today — donate, volunteer, or partner with us before another cold snap hits.
Contact us below.