Passion for Fashion

Last spring, a shipping container filled with new clothing arrived on our doorstep. It was a delightful donation of new clothing from H&M, but it was also daunting... Sonshine's storage space is limited! We asked ourselves: how can we save space for essentials while ensuring our women and children have access to clothing when needed? A lightbulb went off, and Passion for Fashion was born!

Several times throughout the year, Passion for Fashion gives the women and children in the Sonshine Centre an opportunity to rebuild and refresh their wardrobes. Clients can fill out a clothing wish lists, answering everything from sizes to pattern preferences to favorite colors. Volunteers then use this information to compile personalized gift bags for each woman and child.

The most recent occasion was a true community endeavor led by Judith Chubachi, a longtime supporter and volunteer at Sonshine. Judith collected donations of clothing and began sorting. However, once she received our client's wish lists, she realized she wouldn’t have enough items to fulfill them all. Almost everyone asked for boots, a winter jacket, ski pants and gloves… Hello, Winter, we see you!

Judith's daughter received over 30 responses on her community marketplace page, where she had put out a request for clothing. As she began sharing what they were doing, many sellers drastically dropped their price or donated the items.

Judith also wanted to include new socks and underwear for each client, so she put out a call to her Women’s Bible study group. One of the members has a 10-year-old daughter who was looking for a service project for her school - and she wound up collecting 128 pairs of new socks!

In the end, it took over a month for Judith and her helpers to sort and assemble everything, but the result was incredible and very much appreciated by clients!

Would you like to be a part of the next Passion for Fashion event? Get in touch with our Volunteer Coordinator at volunteer@sonshine.ca or 403-705-3494 to learn more!