Kelowna’s Charity Hub has found a unique way to support not-for-profits across the country to help make up a fraction of the fundraising dollars that have been lost due to the pandemic.
“We are reaching out to all the charities around Canada and working with companies around Canada as well,” said Dave Rolleston, Charity Hub founder.
“We have bought anything that you can find in a Walmart, Superstore, a RONA or Big Box Outlet Store. We have taken that product from the suppliers and have moved it into a facility and created cash for it.”
Rolleston and his team act as a broker for companies with a surplus of unwanted items. They sell them and then donate 50 to 70 per cent of the proceeds to charity. The rest of the funds go towards operating costs, says Rolleston.
“We have a triple impact effect. First of all, we are helping corporations get rid of their excess or unwanted product and second, we are helping corporations help charities and foundations more,” said Rolleston.
“Not only can they write a cheque to charities, but they can also use their excess and inventory as a tool to impact charities as well, and then we have a huge environmental impact. We are reducing the energy in the warehouses, the handling and all the other things that go along… we are really reducing the carbon footprint.”
Their creative solution has been a success. Rolleston and his team easily broke their goal for 2021, managing to donate $100,000 in just the first two months of the year, donating to charities across the country and in the Okanagan Valley.
They have made donations to both Habitat for Humanity and the Central Okanagan Food Bank.
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