Shelterlink and Collective District Charity Shop’s partnership “mutually beneficial”

Shelterlink Youth Services and the Collective District Charity Shop have partnered up to help youth facing homelessness.

The Collective District Charity Shop is run by twins Claire and Joanie Chapple of the Yoga Chapple. The pop-up charity shop operates every other Saturday in the yoga studio on the third floor of 42 Wellington St. The shop is set up so 70 per cent of the profits support their charity partners, including Shelterlink Youth Services.

Valerie Trudgeon, Shelterlink’s development and community engagement manager, said that item donations the shelter receives are sorted into three categories: clothing items at the shelter’s thrift shop for youth in shelter to acquire before leaving, dishes, appliances and bedding for the Sprout room to provide youth new items for their own place and operational stock like pillows and blankets. Anything Shelterlink cannot use is utilized elsewhere.

"It's mutually beneficial because we're also going to be supplying them with clothes,” she said. “We get a lot of clothing donations at Shelterlink, but unfortunately, some of the clothing donations aren't suitable to the youth demographic so we then try to look at the different ways to take the generous donations from the community and utilize them in ways that we can help support Shelterlink."

The Collective District Charity Shop also provided passes for youth staying at Shelterlink to use so they can get clothing at no cost to them. Shelterlink’s social media posts for its Style with a Purpose fundraiser include curated outfits made from donated items up for sale, and proceeds help continue operations.

"We're just trying to take the surplus and try to utilize it and keep the donations coming from the public, keep the support coming from the public and just turning it into funds to support Shelterlink,” Trudgeon said.

Shelterlink’s Style with a Purpose curated outfits are sold as-is and pay-what-you-can with a suggested donation of $30 to $50 per outfit and $10 to $30 for a pair of shoes, depending on style and value. There’s free delivery in Stratford and credit and debit payment options are available for delivery and pickup. To reserve items, send an email indicating item, money you wish to donate and whether it’s for pickup or delivery to valeriet@shelterlink.org.

Trudgeon said that supporting youth facing homelessness and intervening early will help prevent the chance of recurrence.

"Our goal is to get to them much, much younger if we can, because if we can, the chances of them becoming homeless again is less because they're actually much more at risk when they even become homeless once,” she said.

Item donations can be dropped off at any time at Shelterlink on 130 Youngs St., third floor, by ringing the buzzer and indicating you’re there to donate items.