Women and other supporters in Prince George will once again rally together to tackle one of the least talked issues faced by women living in poverty in Prince George. United Way of Northern BC, through its mission of connecting resources to local needs, has partnered with Prince George-based lingerie store – Modern Match Lingerie to collect new and gently used bras for women who otherwise cannot afford to buy them.
Finding ways to fill gaps within the local community is the crux of what they do at UWNBC, and this campaign is no exception. In recent years, there has been a marked increase in domestic violence, and thereby a surge of women and children seeking refuge in local women’s shelters, bringing with them sometimes nothing more than the clothes on their backs. As just one example of people vulnerable to their circumstances and not able to meet the essentials of life, it critical that opportunities like the Worthy Warriors campaign are there to provide support.
Last year, with Modern Match Lingerie’s support and donations from the general public, over 1,000 new and gently used bras were distributed to women in need.
This year, this campaign’s goal is to collect double the number of bras to have an even more significant impact. To help achieve this goal, women in Prince George and surrounding areas are encouraged to drop off their lightly used, washed bras at 1552 Quinn Street in exchange for a gift. Simply Beautiful Boutique will pop up on location with their new fall clothing releases alongside United Way of Northern BC, who will be collecting the bras and cash donations. If anyone cannot make their donation during this time, Modern Match Lingerie will be collecting donations all month long at this location. Modern Match has also committed to donating $1 for every sale in October towards the campaign.
“We are thrilled to partner with Modern Match Lingerie for the Worthy Warriors campaign! Shauna and her team are such a community-driven group, and we are honoured to continue our partnership in bringing resources where they are needed in our local community. Very often, it’s the simplest things that help bring a sense of stability in our lives…something like being able to put a bra on and feel ready for the day can make a big difference to someone who is feeling vulnerable,” said Trista Spencer, Executive Director, United Way of Northern BC.
“Women escaping a life of abuse often leave with just the clothes on their back. And if they’re seeking refuge with children, their main priority is getting their children to safety, leaving their own needs on the back burner. For a lot of women, bras are a necessity but a cost they can’t financially afford, so they suffer without,” said Shauna Allan, Founder, CEO of Modern Match Lingerie “Not only do we believe every woman deserves to feel empowered no matter what they are tackling in life, this campaign is also tackling the amount of perfectly good clothing that ends up in our landfills.”
For regular updates on this initiative and our work in the local community, follow the United Way on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by searching ‘UnitedWayNBC’. For more information, visit our website www.unitedwaynbc.ca or call us at 250-561-1040. You can also email us at info@unitedwaynbc.ca to get more information about the local initiatives.