Local Tsawwassen-ite, Maggie Larocque, has started a youth lead initiative called the UpLift Canada Foundation.
The UpLift Canada Foundation is a registered non-profit organization that up-cycles donated clothing and directly relocates the donations to local shelters in your area; making giving easy and enabling citizens to connect and uplift others in their community.
Did you know that in Canada, the average person throws out 81 pounds of textiles annually, while North Americans send 10 million tonnes of clothing to the landfill every year? Most of which could be reused or recycled, according to statistics compiled by Waste Reduction Week in Canada. It’s true.
By up-cycling clothing donations and ultimately supporting the circular economy, UpLift Canada is alleviating the environmental damage being caused by clothing waste in landfills, and instead repurposing these items into a usable resource for those in need.
“What inspired me to start The UpLift Canada Foundation was a trip to a local waste management facility (the dump),” said Larocque. “Not only was it an environmentally disheartening place to visit, but I witnessed, first hand, the sheer amount of clothing waste that is prevalent in my own backyard.
“I simply couldn't believe my eyes, witnessing the piles and piles of perfectly good clothing that was simply going to waste. Something had to be done. Hence, The UpLift Canada Foundation.”
She said the short-term aim is to facilitate this project in the Lower Mainland/Metro Vancouver area first, then slowly grow into having an UpLift team in each province, working with local shelters in each respective area.
How does it work? And where can people donate?
On the first day of every month, the UpLift Canada team announces their ‘Monthly Pick’, describing which area they will be accepting donations from that month. Then, the last Saturday of every month is Donation Day! This is the day where the UpLift Canada team of volunteers personally picks up all clothing donations directly from the donor households and drops them off to the pre-determined shelters. Making giving as easy as possible!
The UpLift Canada Foundation is set to launch Jan. 1, 2021 and their first ‘Monthly Pick’ is Tsawwassen.
If you are interested in donating and getting involved, check out the UpLift Canada website: www.upliftcanadafoundation.org and book your clothing donation pick up or search for their social media platforms @ uplift_canada.
