A Montreal shelter is desperately searching for new underwear of all sizes for the women in its care.
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“Sometimes, women come to us with very little,” Sally Richmond, Director of Logifem told Global News.
“Obviously, we don’t want to give out used underwear.”
The Little Burgundy shelter for women and children has a small boutique, where people can take a certain number of items each week — for free.
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Though many people are quick to donate old clothes, Richmond explained most forget that people in need also need undergarments.
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“It’s not that they don’t want to donate, but they don’t realize this is something they [the women] need.”
Richmond took to Facebook to ask for donations; she’s hoping for at least 300 to 400 pairs of underwear — enough to last until the end of the year.
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So far, reaction on social media has been positive.
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“Montreal is a very caring community, so I thought this was a very simple way for people to show that they care and help with our shelter,” Richmond said.
“People want to be generous.”
The shelter usually houses 20 women — a “revolving population” of people who can stay up to a year and generally leave when they’re ready to move on with their lives.
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It also has 14 women in the transitional apartment program, where they can stay up to three years.
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Richmond explains there are people from their early 20s to late 60s, so they need all sizes of underwear.
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“We want to give them enough time so they don’t feel rushed and have time to collect themselves and know what to do next,” Richmond told Global News.
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She explained there are many reasons why women end up at the shelter — including domestic violence, mental health, physical ailments, financial impact from divorce and general isolation.
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“Many of us are lucky enough to have solid support networks in terms of family and friends, so when we go through difficult times, we have people who care for us,” she said.
“They don’t have this support network.”
Anyone looking to donate can mail them to CP 72108, 151 Atwater, Montreal, H3J 2Z6 or call 514-939-3172 to arrange a drop off.
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The shelter keeps its location private in order to protect its charges.
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