A partnership between Community Connections Revelstoke Society (CCRS) and local consignment store Forage & Fill is providing clients with high quality clothing options while also diverting gently used items from the landfill. During foodbank hours clothing racks with donated items are set up for clients to select from in a process that mirrors the, “shop what you will use” approach the foodbank uses.
“It’s meant to be as low-barrier as possible,” Laura Larson, CCRS emergency shelter coordinator said. “It also just makes sense in this sort of circular fashion and economy sense.”
Items from Forage & Fill are vetted by staff as being higher quality without major damage to them and either then directly passed along to CCRS or spend time on the shop floor before being reevaluated.
“I let our consigners know that it’s maybe an item that isn’t going to sell, or I haven’t seen items like this move, or we have eight turtlenecks already,” Jenise Lamoureux, Forage & Fill owner and operator told Revelstoke Mountaineer. “They’re more than welcome to try and sell it through us as consignment or they can donate it through us to the racks at the food bank, and they know that someone is going to get a lot of love and use out of that piece.”
Forage & Fill’s vetting process reduces the effort CCRS needs to coordinate and sort, allowing the outreach centre to instead keep focusing on the programs and resources they offer. The partnership also means a little less pressure on Revelstoke’s local thrift stores, giving Forage & Fill consigners a chance to pass along clothes to new homes without adding to the overwhelming amount of donations created by a growing city.
“Shout out to the ladies working there, but there’s so much stuff from the community they have to sift through and assess. This just means one less item that has to take up space in their store,” Larson said. The partnership also makes sense for the food bank’s overall goal.
“It’s food recovery, it’s clothing recovery, this all fits together and our goal has been to help offset grocery costs. That can include costs for clothing items you need.”
From nearly brand-new coats picked up as the winter season rolled in to recently donated thermals going to CCRS clients during the February cold-snap, Larson and Lamoureux have both heard about the impacts the partnership has had on the community.
“People hear about this program and they’re thrilled that they can help and pass things along,” Lamoureux said. “I think everyone’s just really excited to help out their community in this way as well.”
Not only have consignors enjoyed this new way to give back, Lamoureux has also found the partnership a way to cement her connection to Revelstoke.
“It’s been one of the biggest privileges of having Forage & Fill, the ability to integrate into the community like this. The fact that we can help provide accessible clothing through our store, and through our dollar bins and now through this, offering these levels of dignified shopping to so many people.”
CCRS is not currently accepting clothing donations at either locations unless previously organized. Those interested in donating items to the food bank clothing racks can connect with Forage & Fill to discuss consignment and assessment options.
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